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IP 


REV:.  D_  A.RANDALL 


THE 


HANDWRITING   OF  GOD 

IN 

EGYPT,  SINAI, 

AND  THE 


HOLY  LAND: 

THE 

RECORDS  OF  A  JOURNEY  FROM  THE  GREAT  VALLEY  OF  THE  WEST 
TO  THE  SACRED  PLACES  OF  THE  EAST. 


BY  REV.  D.  A.  RANDALL. 


WITH 

MAPS,  DIAGRAMS,  AND  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


®&*  Winibtxstt  is  tty  ^anlltoritinjg  of  (Ecolf,  an&  all  aY\nts  ate  foorto  ttt  it." 


PHILADELPHIA: 

JOHN  E.  POTTER  &  CO.,  61Y  SANSOM  STREET 

CHICAGO,   III.  :   J.   W.   GOODSPEED   &  CO. 
1866. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1862,  by 

D.    A.  RANDALL, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  Ohio. 


TO    MY  CHURCH, 

TO  WHOSE  SYMPATHY,  ENCOURAGEMENT  AND  PEAYERS,  I  AM  DEEPLY  INDEBTED '. 


WHOSE  KIND  REMEMBRANCES  DURING  MY  JOURNEY,  AND  WELCOME  GREETINGS  ON 


FOR  THEIR  PROMPT  AND  CHEERFUL  AID  IN  MY  TRAVELS  AND  LABORS  t 

AND     TO    MY    NUMEROUS  FRIENDS, 

FOR   THEIR   ACTS   OF  KINDNESS   AND   WORDS   OF  CHEER, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED, 

WITH  THE  HOPE  THAT  THEY  MAY  ALL  ENJOY  AS  MUCH  IN  THE  REAPING, 


TO     MY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 


MY  RETURN,  HAVE  BEEN  LIKE  SUNLIGHT  UPON  MY  HEART  : 


TO    MY  FAMILY, 


AS  THE  AUTHOR  HAS  IN  COLLECTING  AND  PREPARING 


THE  CONTENTS  OF  IT. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Why  another  book  of  travels  and  observations  in  the  East  V 
Has  not  the  ground  been  traveled  over,  again  and  again,  and 
book  after  book  been  written  ?  What  new,  interesting,  or  in- 
structive, can  be  presented  ? 

The  writer  is  aware  that  many  questions  of  this  kind  will 
arise,  on  reading  the  title-page  of  this  book.  He  apprehends 
many  will  think  the  effort  an  unnecessary  or  superfluous  one  ; 
still,  he  has  resolved  to  give  the  public  the  book. 

1.  Because  books,  in  the  present  condition  of  society,  have 
become  an  essential  requisite  for  the  dissemination  of  knowl- 
edge, the  promotion  of  morality  and  religion,  or  the  increase 
of  the  pleasures  and  enjoyments  of  the  public.  If  the  labor 
thus  demanded  is  one  of  duty,  the  author  should  not  shrink 
from  bearing  his  share ;  if  one  of  profit  or  pleasure,  he  has  as 
good  a  claim  to  the  privilege  of  writing  and  publishing  as  any 
other  one. 

2.  The  countries  of  which  this  book  treats  are  those  of  in- 
tense interest  to  all  classes  of  persons.  Here  are  the  records 
and  monuments  of  the  early  ages  of  the  world.  Here  are  his- 
toric pages  of  which  none  should  be  ignorant.  From  these, 
new  lessons  are  continually  being  unfolded.  Here  God  has  left 
the  traces  of  his  footsteps,  the  handwriting  of  his  power,  and 
the  memorials  of  his  mighty  wonders. 

3.  A  book  of  travels,  if  written  with  taste  and  skill,  will 
always  be  an  interesting  and  instructive  book.  Each  succeed- 
ing person,  in  his  visit,  will  view  things  and  scenes  in  new 
aspects ;  catch  the  inspiration  of  new  thoughts  and  lessons ; 
and  bring  truth  to  at  least  some  minds,  arrayed  in  new  and  in- 
viting drapery. 

4.  Many  of  the  books  on  the  East  are  too  learned  for 


VI 


INTKODUCTION. 


popular  use ;  abounding  in  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Arabic  tech- 
nicalities, and  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  disputed  questions, 
they  may  be  of  great  importance  and  highly  useful  to  the  scholar, 
but  they  do  not  interest  the  great  mass  of  common  readers. 
Others,  again,  pass  so  rapidly  from  place  to  place,  and  are  so 
general  in  their  descriptions,  the  reader  gets  but  very  imperfect 
ideas  of  scenes  and  localities.  These  extremes  the  writer  of 
this  work  has  designed  to  avoid.  It  has  been  his  object  to 
select  the  most  prominent  and  important  things,  and  to  describe 
them  in  a  plain  and  familiar  style,  with  definiteness  and  par- 
ticularity, and  to  condense  into  the  work  what  he  supposes  the 
common  reader  would  most  desire  to  know.  He  has  not  in- 
dulged in  learned  dissertations,  or  critical  discussions ;  has  not 
endeavored  to  settle  controverted  questions,  dates,  and  locali- 
ties ;  indeed,  it  has  not  been  his  intention  to  make  a  book  for 
the  learned  or  the  critical,  but  to  give  the  public  a  volume  to 
interest  and  instruct  the  family  and  the  common  reader. 

5.  Thousands  of  persons  have  not  read  the  books  that  have 
already  been  published ;  not  because  they  have  no  desire  to 
read,  but  because  they  have  not  been  brought  within  their 
reach.  Many  of  these  works  have  had  a  wide  circulation,  and 
have  done  great  good,  and  yet  multitudes  have  not  been  reach- 
ed by  them.  The  present  volume,  from  circumstances  of  au- 
thorship, publication,  and  the  personal  relations  of  the  writer, 
may  reach  and  influence  many  that  other  works  have  not  reach- 
ed, and  thus  add  something  to  the  general  amount  of  good 
accomplished. 

6.  This  book  is  designed  to  be  different,  in  several  particulars, 
from  others  that  have  preceded  it.  If  it  were  not,  the  author 
might  spare  himself  the  labor  of  writing  and  the  expense  of 
publishing.  It  is  designed  not  only  to  present  the  interesting 
and  exciting  incidents  of  travel,  but  to  connect  with  the  scenes 
and  places  visited  the  most  prominent  and  instructive  historic 
events  that  have  characterized  them ;  drawing  from  them  illus- 
trations of  scripture,  events  of  history,  sketches  of  biography, 
and,  more  especially,  the  important  moral  lessons  they  are  cal- 
culated to  suggest,  and  such  as  it  is  hoped  will  benefit  the  heart 
and  the  life. 


INTKODUCTION. 


vii 


7.  Because  there  is  yet  much  to  be  learned,  and  deep  im- 
pressions to  be  made,  from  the  new  revelations  that  are  con- 
tinually coming  to  us  from  these  ancient, and  sacred  localities. 
God  has  kept  two  copies  of  his  historic  records  of  our  race. 
One  was  written  on  parchment  and  put  into  the  hands  of  man. 
It  has  been  watched  over  with  jealous  care,  strangely  preserved, 
and  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation.  The  other 
was  written  on  monumental  records,  the  sculptured  tablets  of 
now  extinct  nations,  and  buried  beneath  the  crumbling  piles 
and  moss-grown  mounds  of  ruined  cities.  The  wasting  ravages 
of  war  have  rolled  over  it ;  the  foot  of  the  ruthless  barbarian 
has  trampled  it ;  the  elements  in  their  fury  have  combined  for 
its  destruction.  And  yet,  during  the  long  lapse  of  ages,  his 
omniscient  eye  has  watched  over  it,  and  his  almighty  hand  has 
guarded  it;  and  lo  !  in  his  own  appointed  time  he  lifts  the  vail, 
and  page  after  page  comes  up  from  the  disentombed  cities  of 
antiquity — from  Babylon,  and  Nineveh,  and  Egypt,  and  Syria 
— and  the  two  books  lay  their  testimony  side  by  side,  and  both 
conspire  to  establish  the  testimony  of  God. 

None  can  be  too  familiar  with  these  things.  The  present 
aspects  of  the  countries  through  which  this  book  will  lead  the 
reader,  the  present  condition  of  the  people,  the  majestic  ruins, 
the  time-worn  monuments,  entombed  cities  and  temples,  will 
all  speak  with  an  instructive  and  impressive  voice.  They  will 
talk  to  us  of  things  grave  and  serious  in  antiquity ;  they  will 
teach  us  important  and  interesting  lessons  in  religious  faith ; 
they  will  give  us  visions  of  things  majestic  and  glorious  in 
promise.  Some  of  these  lessons  it  is  the  design  of  this  book 
to  record  for  the  benefit  of  the  reader. 

These  reasons  the  writer  deems  a  sufficient  apology  for  giving 
a  new  book  to  the  public.  In  preparing  it,  he  has  had  before 
him  the  works  of  a  large  number  of  authors  who  have  pre- 
ceded him  in  a  similar  labor.  From  these  he  has  been  enabled 
to  gather  many  facts  and  hints,  that  have  materially  aided  him 
in  improving  and  enriching  the  work.  He  has  not  deemed  it 
necessary  to  burden  the  pages  by  continued  reference  to  the 
works  thus  consulted.  In  using  them,  he  finds,  in  collating 
different  authors,  he  has  only  done  what  others  have  done  be- 


viii 


INT  PRODUCTION. 


fore  him.  To  one  only  would  he  in  particular  acknowledge 
his  indebtedness — Murray's  Guide  Books.  His  Handbooks  of 
Egypt,  Syria,  and  Palestine,  were  his  constant  companions  in 
his  travels,  and  have  been  used  by  him  in  the  preparation  of 
his  notes  for  publication ;  and  he  has  often^  been  surprised  at 
the  fullness,  particularity,  and  accuracy  of  the  information  they 
contain.    Eo  visitor  in  those  lands  should  be  without  them. 

The  illustrations  found  in  the  work  have  been  selected  be- 
cause they  are  illustrations.  A  number  of  them  have  been  pre- 
pared expressly  for  the  work,  and  all  of  them  contain  accurate 
views  of  the  places  they  are  designed  to  represent,  as  the  au- 
thor can  testify  from  personal  observation.  They  have  been 
inserted,  not  merely  as  embellishments  to  adorn  the  work,  but 
as  helps,  to  enable  the  reader  to  obtain  correct  ideas  of  import- 
ant localities.  Where  maps  and  diagrams  were  necessary  to 
illustrate  the  text,  they  have  been  prepared.  These  things  have 
added  materially  to  the  expense  of  the  work,  but  will  be  of 
great  value  to  the  reader. 

For  the  convenience  of  those  who  wish  to  have  the  work 
bound  in  two  volumes,  it  has  been  divided  into  two  parts — one 
on  Egypt  and  Sinai,  the  other  on  the  Holy  Land ;  and  the  pag- 
ing and  indexing  have  been  made  to  correspond  to  this  arrange- 
ment. 

And  now  the  journey  has  been  completed,  the  laborious  task 
of  writing  ended,  and  the  work  is  placed  in  your  hands.  The 
author,  in  his  travels  and  in  his  labors,  has  not  been  unmindful 
of  his  dependance  on  Him  whose  favor  alone  can  give  success. 
May  His  blessing  attend  the  work,  and  may  it  prove  a  source  of 
interest,  instruction,  and  moral  improvement,  wherever  it  goes 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


"  Egypt  shall  be  a  desolation, 
And  Edom  shall  "be  a  desolate  wilderness, 
For  the  violence  against  the  children  of  Judah, 
Because  they  have  shed  innocent  blood  in  their  land.'; 

Joel,  iii.  19. 

"0,  all-preparing  Providence  divine! 
In  thy  large  book  what  secrets  are  enrolled  ? 
"What  sundry  helps  doth  thy  great  power  assign, 
To  prop  the  course  which  thou  intend' st  to  hold  1 " 

Draytoit. 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

Columbus  to  Boston — Voyage  Across  the  Atlantic. 

On  the  third  of  January,  1861,  I  left  the  depot  at  Columbus, 
Ohio,  for  a  tour  in  Bible  lands.  Refreshed  by  a  night's  rest 
among  my  friends  in  Cleveland,  at  ten  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing I  was  again  upon  the  cars,  whirling  onward  toward  Buffalo. 
A  slight  fall  of  snow  during  the  night  had  carpeted  the  earth, 
and  festooned  the  forests,  and  clothed  the  hills  in  a  beautiful 
drapery  of  white.  Upon  one  side,  as  we  passed,  was  first  the 
high  bluff  bank  crowned  by  the  city,  then  the  level  open  coun- 
try, dotted  over  with  neat  farm-houses,  while  occasionally  a 
thriving  village  nestled  among  its  forest  of  shade  trees,  and 
lifted  its  lofty  church  spires  toward  heaven.  Upon  the  other 
hand  was  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Erie.  The  shore  was 
bounded  by  a  heavy  lock  of  ice,  reaching  a  mile  or  more  from 
the  land  ;  beyond  that  a  blue  line  of  water,  then  another  girdle 
of  ice ;  while  beyond  all,  the  white-capped  waves  and  the  fleecy 
clouds,  wearing  the  peculiar  blue  and  hazy  cast  of  winter, 
seemed  to  meet  and  blend  in  cold  and  solemn  grandeur.  The 
morning  was  frosty  but  bright,  invigorating,  and  beautiful, 
though  all  nature  was  girt  with  the  sullen  aspect  of  winter. 
The  swift- winged  cars  go  thundering  on.  I  sit  a  stranger  in 
the  midst  of  strangers,  buried  in  the  solitude  of  my  own  reflec- 
tions. I  had  left  my  home  for  a  long  absence  and  a  tedious 
journey.  The  perils  of  the  ocean,  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  desert  routes,  dangers  from  hostile  tribes,  and  exposure  in 
uncongenial  climes,  like  frightful  spectres,  were  staring  me  in 
the  face.  I  had  just  exchanged  the  parting  tokens  of  affection 
with  my  family  and  the  friends  that  I  loved — my  church  and 


12 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


kindred  in  Christ — who  not  only  had  a  strong  hold  upon  my 
affections,  but  who,  in  the  tokens  of*regard  and  kindness  shown 
me  in  view  of  my  departure,  had  added  indissoluble  ties  to  the 
bonds  that  united  me  to  them. 

My  thoughts  wandered  back  to  the  home  and  kindred  I  had 
left,  and  then  dashed  forward  into  the  future  Brighter  hopes 
and  more  pleasant  visions  are  luring  me  onward.  Is  it  possible 
I  am  so  near  realizing  the  cherished  anticipations  of  many 
years  ?  Am  I  really  to  visit  the  land  of  patriarchs,  prophets, 
and  apostles — to  revel  in  thought  amid  the  scenes  of  Bible 
history  ?  Am  I  to  see  Egypt,  and  gaze  upon  the  home  of  the 
ancient  Pharaohs — walk  over  the  land  watered  by  the  sweat 
and  tears  of  captive  Israel  ?  Am  I  to  visit  the  Holy  Land — press 
with  my  feet  the  SQil  where  Jesus  walked,  labored,  wept,  and 
died?  The  thought  of  these  things  urge  me  onward.  The 
past  may  be  saddened  by  the  thought  of  parting  scenes,  but  it 
is  perfumed  with  the  remembrance  of  fraternal  and  Christian 
love.  The  future  may  have  its  doubts  and  clouds,  and  anxious 
fears  may  hang  them  with  a  sombre  drapery,  but  they  are  illu- 
mined with  the  radiant  bow  of  hope. 

Another  thought  oppresses  my  mind,  and.  gloomy  forebodings 
rise  up  around  me.    It  is 

THE    CONDITION   OF   MY  COUNTRY. 

Political  differences  and  sectional  jealousies  have  long  been 
working  like  leaven  in  all, parts  of  the  land.  Now  the  fires  of 
contention,  long  smothered,  seem  about  to  break  out  in  one 
wild  blaze  of  excitement.  The  first  blow  has  been  struck  for 
the  dissolution  of  this  sacred  Union,  formed  in  the  wisdom  and 
cemented  by  the  blood  of  our  forefathers. 

Jack  Frost  (he  deserves  a  more  dignified  name),  with  his 
cold  pencil,  and  a  skill  no  human  hand  could  imitate,  had  si- 
lently traced  upon  the  car  window  by  my  side  a  beautiful  min- 
iature forest — a  magical  silvery  brake  of  fern,  bush,  and  tree. 
I  was  absorbed  in  admiration  of  this  delicate  creation,  and 
thinking  how  easily  its  frail  netting  of  ice-work  could  be  dis- 
solved by  a  single  breath.  Again  my  thoughts  reverted  to  the 
former  theme.    What  reports  will  I  hear  from  my  country 


REFLECTIONS    BY    THE  WAY. 


13 


while  I  am  gone  ?  In  what  condition  will  I  find  it  on  my  re- 
turn ?  "Will  brother  rise  against  brother,  and  state  be  arrayed 
against  state,  and  the  clangor  of  arms  be  heard  where  the  voice 
of  peace  and  the  hum  of  industry  has  so  long  been  our  music  ? 
Will  the  stern  tramp  of  war,  and  the  warm  blood  of  the  slain, 
desolate  and  stain  those  fields  that  have  so  long  yielded  us  the 
rich  abundance  of  their  harvests  ?  Is  this  boasted  Union,  after 
all,  a  mere  net-work  of  fancied  strength,  frail  as  the  picture 
the  morning  frost  has  sketched  upon  that  glass,  that  a  single 
breath  may  dissipate  ?  "No,  no  !  it  cannot  be.  This  Union 
must  remain  entire.  I  love  the  stars  and  the  stripes.  I  am 
proud  of  the  flag  of  my  country.  I  shall  find  it  in  every  port 
I  visit.  I  had  rather  stand  under  that,  than  under  the  banner 
of  any  other  nation.  It  is  an  segis  of  protection ;  and  the  plea, 
"I  am  an  American  citizen,7'  is  equal  to  that  urged  by  the 
Apostle  Paul,  near  two  thousand  years  ago,  "  I  am  a  Roman, 
and  free-born." 

But  I  cannot  record  all  my  reflections  as  the  ponderous  loco- 
motive went  thundering  on,  with  its  head  of  fire  and  its  comet- 
like train  of  steam  and  smoke.  Buffalo  was  passed — Albany 
left  behind — Boston  was  in  sight — we  are  there. 

How  great  the  facilities  for  travel !  A  ride  of  thirty-five 
hours,  at  an  expense  of  twenty  dollars,  and  here  I  am  by  a 
cheerful  fire,  in  a  comfortable  hotel,  eight  hundred  and  sixteen 
miles  from  home. 

It  is  the  ninth  of  January,  1861.  I  am  now  standing  upon 
the  deck  of  the  steamer  Canada,  as  she  lies  at  anchor  at  East 
Boston  wharf.  We  are  just  about  to  launch  out  upon  the  cheer- 
less waters  of  the  great  deep,  in  one  of  the  most  tempestuous 
months  of  the  year.  Almost  involuntarily  the  question  again 
arises,  Why  do  I  go  ?  Have  I  sufficient  reasons  for  undertak- 
ing such  a  journey  ?  Can  I  expect,  in  a  brief  residence  among 
the  ruins  and  monuments  of  antiquity,  to  make  any  new  dis- 
coveries, or  add  any  thing  to  the  vast  fund  of  knowledge  that 
has  been  gathered  from  these  sources?  Can  I  expect  to  throw 
any  new  light  on  scripture  history  and  revelation  ?  Have  not 
Champollion,  Wilkinson,  and  their  compeers,  done  all  that  is 
needed  in  Egypt  ?    Have  not  Layard  and  his  associates  sufii- 


14 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


ciently  opened  the  long-buried  ruins  of  Mneveh?  Have  not 
such  men  as  .Robinson,  Stevenson,  and  Stanley,  finished  the 
work  in  Sinai  and  Palestine  ?    Why,  then,  do  I  go  ? 

When,  some  years  since,  Lamartine  went  out  on  a  similar 
expedition, 'he  tells  us  he  went  as  a  philosopher  and  a  poet. 
Others  have  gone  as  men  of  literature  and  science.  I  go  simply 
as  a  Christian.  As  such,  I  wish  to  visit  the  places  dear  to 
every  Christian  heart ;  to  stand  among  the  monuments  where 
the  ancient  people  of  God  toiled ;  where  Moses  wrought  his 
mighty  miracles ;  to  look  upon  those  renowned  waters  that 
stood  on  heaps  to  make  an  open  passage  for  the  escape  of  the 
captive  race;  to  stand  upon  the  summit  of  that  mount  that 
trembled  beneath  the  awful  majesty  of  a  descending  God.  I 
want  to  visit  the  sacred  waters  of  the  Jordan ;  to  look  upon 
that  mysterious  sea  that  rolls  its  dark  and  leaden  waves,  an 
everlasting  monument  of  the  displeasure  of  God  against  the 
doomed  cities  of  the  plain ;  to  visit  Jerusalem,  Gethsemane, 
and  Olivet.  I  want  to  stand  in  Bethlehem,  where  Jesus  was 
born — upon  Calvary,  where  he  died ;  to  weep  at  the  sepulchre 
where  they  laid  him ;  to  stand  upon  the  mount  from  which  he 
ascended  to  heaven.  In  all  these  places  I  want  to  take  lessons 
of  Him  who  teaches  as  never  man  taught;  to  mark  the  foot- 
steps of  the  Almighty,  and  trace  the  records  of  his  wonder- 
dealing  hand.  I  go,  trusting  in  Israel's  God— he  will  be  my 
protector. 

My  reflections  were  broken  by  the  loud,  sharp  cry  of  an 
officer  of  the  ship — 

"ALL  ABOARD!" 

Ten  o'clock  was  the  time  set  for  our  departure.  I  was  pleased 
to  find  among  the  passengers  "  Father  Kemp  "  and  his  company 
of  "  Old  Folks,"  going  out  to  give  a  series  of  concerts  in  Eu- 
rope. There  are  about  thirty  of  them,  mostly  young  people, 
notwithstanding  their  assumed  name.  We  anticipate  the  charm 
of  their  songs  will  add  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the  voyage. 

An  ocean  ship  was  to  me  a  novel  place,  and  I  had  many 
things  to  learn.  "  What  is  that  little  flag  at  the  mast-head  ?  " 
said  I  to  a  man  standing  near  me.    "  That  they  call  a  Blue 


LIFE    ON    THE    OCEAN.    Vf  MO 

Peter ;  it  indicates  that  the  ship  is  to  sail  immediately."  "And 
what  is  that  flag  at  the  stern  ? "  "  Why,  that  is  the  Union  J ack, 
the  pride  and  boast  of  every  British  seaman."  Forward,  look- 
ing through  their  respective  port-holes,  were  two  dark-looking 
Bellona  boys,  ready  primed,  to  act  their  part  in  the  farewell 
scene.  Father  Kemp  assembled  his  company  of  Old  Folks  on 
the  promenade  deck,  and,  in  company  with  their  friends,  sang 
"  Auld  Lang  Syne."  The  last  warning  was  given ;  friends  has- 
tily exchanged  the  farewell  tokens  of  affection.  I  saw  many 
struggling  to  keep  the  tear-drop  back ;  while  others  gave  way 
to  emotions  they  could  not  suppress.  I  stood  alone.  'No  one 
knew  me,  or  cared  particularly  for  me ;  but  I  was  not  an  unin- 
terested spectator.  I  dropped  a  few  tears,  from  sympathy  with 
the  rest ;  for  recent  experiences  had  made  me  keenly  suscep- 
tible to  the  emotions  that  swayed  them. 

GETTING   OUT   OF   THE  HARBOR. 

All  was  in  readiness.  At  five  minutes  past  ten  o'clock,  the 
ponderous  machinery  was  put  in  motion — the  huge  paddle- 
wheels  lazily  obeyed  the  mandate — the  war-dogs  howled  a 
parting  salute,  and  their  deep-mouthed  notes  rolled  back  over 
city  and  bay,  till  old  Bunker  Hill  and  Charlestown  seemed 
roused  from  their  dreamy  sleep  of  peace,  and  echoed  back  the 
notes  as  a  familiar  sound  of  olden  days.  The  Blue  Peter  came 
down,  and  the  stars  and  stripes  went  up,  and  we  moved  slowly 
out  among  the  shipping  of  the  harbor.  It  was  a  clear,  beauti- 
ful morning,  and  the  waters  lay  like  an  immense  mirror  in  the 
sunlight.  We  passed  the  forts,  standing  like  huge  sentinels  to 
guard  the  passage  to  the  city.  At  the  entrance  of  the  harbor 
we  dropped  our  pilot,  who  was  taken  on  board  a  schooner  an- 
chored there  to  receive  him.  Onward  we  went ;  shore  and  city 
faded  away,  and  disappeared  in  the  distance.  I  looked  out  on 
the  wide  expanse  of  waters ;  the  sea  and  sky  were  all  the  world 
to  us.    We  were  now 

FAIRLY  AT  SEA. 

Both  flags  were  taken  in,  and  things  put  in  readiness  for 
rougher  ocean  life.    For  a  time  we  moved  on  pleasantly.  To- 


16 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


wards  evening  a  head  wind  sprung  up,  producing  that  rocking 
motion  of  the  boat  that  makes  sea  life  so  much  of  a  dread  to 
those  unaccustomed  to  the  water.  Dinners,  with  many,  were 
disposed  of  in  quicker  time  than  the  digestive  organs  are  accus- 
tomed to  work.  But  things  this  evening  did  not  arrive  at  any 
very  serious  pass.    The  worst  was  yet  to  come. 

Thursday.  Our  head  wind  changed  to  a  side  wind,  and  we 
had  what  the  sailors  call  a  chopped  sea,  producing  a  very  un- 
pleasant motion  of  the  boat.  Berths  and  wash-bowls  were  in 
greater  demand  than  edibles.  Only  eight  made  their  appearance 
at  the  breakfast  table.  I  felt  myself,  during  the  day,  approaching 
a  crisis  of  some  kind,  but  was  determined  to  procrastinate  it  as 
long  as  possible.  I  kept  on  deck  in  the  open  air,  and  resolutely 
frowned  down  all  signs  of  rebellion.  During  the  afternoon 
there  were  manifest  indications  that  the  crisis  was  at  hand,  and 
must  be  met.  Supplied  with  a  mug  of  warm  saleratus  water 
and  a  wash-bowl,  I  "turned  in,"  as  the  sailors  say,  and  the 
contest  commenced.  For  a  time  there  seemed  to  be  a  general 
revolt  and  combination  among  all  the  internal  states,  from  the 
boots  upward,  to  secede..  The  contest  was  a  serious  one,  and 
for  a  long  time  it  seemed  doubtful  how  it  would  end ;  but  at 
last,  from  mere  exhaustion,  hostilities  ceased,  and  quiet  was 
restored.  I  now  determined  to  keep  a  strict  watch  over  the 
subdued  provinces,  and  by  withholding  supplies,  and  great 
caution  in  the  distribution  of  limited  rations,  to  keep  all  in 
subjection.  From  what  I  heard  going  on  around  me,  I  was 
aware  I  was  not  the  worst  sufferer.  With  some,  the  agony  of 
the  contest  was  kept  up  all  night  long. 

Saturday,  12th.  This  morning  the  clouds  broke  away,  the 
sun  came  out ;  we  had  a  fair,  brisk  wind ;  all  sail  was  set,  and 
we  moved  on,  under  the  combined  power  of  wind  and  steam,  at 
from  ten  to  thirteen  miles  an  hour. 

We  are  now  nearing  Cape  Race,  a  dangerous  and  stormy 
part  of  the  coast.  ISTight  is  closing  in  upon  us.  Dark  and 
stormy-looking  clouds  are  hanging  about  the  horizon,  forebod- 
ing no  favorable  night. 

Sunday.  Our  anticipations  of  rough  weather  last  night  have 
been  realized.    The  captain  stood  well  off  from  Cape  Race,  to 


LIFE    ON    THE  OCEAN. 


17 


avoid  a  dangerous  reef  of  rocks  lying  about  one  hundred  miles 
from  shore.  The  storm-king  was  abroad  during  the  whole 
night.  We  were  only  conscious,  as  we  lay  in  our  berths,  that 
there  was  a  great  commotion  of  the  elements.  The  ship  labor- 
ed heavily  through  the  waves,  and  rolled  from  side  to  side,  and 
occasionally  a  heavy  wave  broke  over  the  deck.  The  captain, 
faithful  to  his  trust,  was  on  deck  all  night,  and  did  not  leave  to 
take  any  rest  till  after  seven  in  the  morning.  At  this  time  the 
danger  was  considored  over,  as  the  w'n  l  hai  partially  subsided, 
and  we  were  about  three  hours  past  the  Cape.  But  the  conse- 
quences were  not  over  to  the  passengers.  Most  of  those  who 
had  recovered  from  their  sea-sickness  were  overtaken  with  a 
relapse,  and  a  number  who  had  not  before  been  affected  were 
seriously  ill. 

The  rules  of  the  company  make  it  the  duty  of  the  captain  to 
read,  or  have  read,  the  Church  of  England  service  on  Sunday. 
In  consequence  of  the  severe  labors  of  the  night,  this  service, 
usually  performed  at  half-past  ten,  was  postponed  till  evening, 
when  such  as  were  able  assembled  in  the  after-cabin  for  that 
purpose. 

Wednesday,  15th.  Monday  and  Tuesday  we  had  a  constant 
succession  of  foul  weather — tempestuous  winds  and  a  boisterous 
sea.  The  concert  the  Old  Folks  were  to  give  on  Tuesday  eve- 
ning was  deferred  on  account  of  the  motion  of  the  ship,  and 
the  sickness  of  most  of  the  company.  Have  had  a  head  wind 
all  day,  and  have  depended  on  the  power  of  steam  alone.  The 
wind  has  been  increasing  during  the  afternoon.  I  observe  to- 
night the  sky  has  an  angry  appearance.  The  sailors  are  all 
busily  at  work,  securing  every  sail,  and  making  all  ready  for  a 
storm. 

A   GALE   AT  SEA. 

Thursday.  Our  officers  were  not  disappointed  in  their  last 
evening's  expectations  of  a  gale.  Before  morning  we  had  it  in 
earnest.  We  novices  in  sea  life  thought  we  had  a  severe  storm 
on  Saturday  night  off  Cape  Race,  but  the  sailors  only  laughed 
at  us  when  we  spoke  of  it.  In  our  berths  below  we  only  knew 
that  the  wind  was  blowing  a  gale,  that  our  boat  was  pitching 
2 


18 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


and  tossing  about,  and  we  could  hear  the  waves  breaking  in 
torrents  clear  over  the  top  of  the  cabin  above  us. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  heavy  sea  struck  the 
larboard  side  of  our  ship.  The  concussion  seemed  like  striking 
against  a  rock.  Some  were  thrown  clear  out  of  their  berths ; 
crockery  smashed  and  rattled;  boxes  and  trunks  were  dashed 
with  violence  across  the  state-rooms;  women  screamed,  and 
men  jumped  from  their  beds  in  affright. 

For  a  few  moments  the  ship  stood  perfectly  still,  as  if  stiff- 
ened like  a  bullock  struck  in  the  head  with  an  ax;  then  the 
heavy  timbers  screaked  and  quivered,  and  in  a  few  moments 
more  she  was  dashing  headlong  onward  through  the  mountain 
waves.  I  had  an  upper  berth,  and  from  that  time  till  morn- 
ing I  found  it  difficult  to  keep  my  position.  I  braced  myself 
with  my  knees,  and  held  on  with  my  hands ;  rolled  backward 
and  forward,  and  thus  waited  for  the  morning  light.  I  will 
say,  however,  that  during  all  this  I  felt  no  fear ;  not  that  I  had 
stronger  nerves  than  the  rest,  but  I  knew  we  were  now  in  mid 
ocean,  near  a  thousand  miles  from  land,  that  we  had  plenty  of 
sea  room,  and  that  our  ship  was  so  strongly  built,  she  had  no- 
thing to  fear  from  wind  or  wave. 

THE    OCEAN   IN   A  STORM. 

As  soon  as  the  morning  light  appeared,  I  managed  to  dress 
myself,  though  with  extreme  difficulty,  both  from  dizziness  and 
the  motion  of  the  boat.  I  was  determined  to  get  on  deck,  enjoy 
the  fresh  air,  and  see  how  old  ocean  looked,  lashed  into  tempest. 
I  at  last  succeeded  in  reaching  the  promenade  deck,  and  took 
shelter  under  the  lee  side  of  the  great  smoke-stack,  which  not 
only  protected  me  from  the  spray,  but  also  kept  me  warm ;  for 
it  threw  off  heat  like  a  monster  stove.  The  scene  to  me  was  a 
novel  one ;  and,  notwithstanding  my  sickness  and  exposure,  I 
stood  for  more  than  two  hours  enjoying  the  strange  grandeur 
and  majesty  of  the  scene.  Our  great  ship  was  pitching  up  and 
down,  tossed  like  a  feather  in  the  wind.  We  rode  on  huge 
mountain  billows  of  dark  leaden  color,  capped  with  molten 
glass,  and  tipped  with  silvery  caps  of  foam.  Once  or  twice  the 
sun  broke  through  the  angry  clouds,  and  touched  them  with 


LIFE    ON    THE  OCEAN. 


19 


his  golden  light,  kindling  the  pearly  drops  into  myriads  of 
sparkling  diamonds,  and  throwing  over  all  the  prismatic  beauty 
of  the  rainbow.  I  thought  I  had  seen  water  in  its  greatest 
majesty  and  glory,  and  in  its  most  impressive  exhibitions,  at 
Niagara ;  but  here  was  a  vastness — a  grandeur — an  exhibition 
of  sublimity  and  power,  that  eclipsed  all  I  had  ever  seen  before. 
My  soul  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  omnipotence  and  in- 
finity of  that  God  who  scooped  out  this  mighty  abyss,  and  filled 
it  with  these  powerful  waters.  He  hath  set  them  their  bounds, 
and  says  to  them,  in  their  wildest  commotion,  "  Thus  far,  and 
here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed."  I  heard  in  the  roar  of 
these  elements  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent,  and  re- 
joiced that,  terrible  as  he  was,  I  could  call  him  Father. 

The  incidents  of  an  ocean  voyage  have  been  so  often  penned, 
we  need  not  detain  the  reader  by  any  lengthy  narration  of 
them.  Through  wind  and  storm,  sunshine  and  calm,  with  won- 
drous power  the  ponderous  machinery  of  our  ship  drove  us 
onward.  Again  we  came  in  sight  of  land.  It  was  a  pleasant 
and  cheerful  sight.  Cape  Clear  was  passed.  Cork  harbor  was 
gained.  Monday,  January  21st,  we  were  steaming  along  the 
Irish  Channel,  enjoying  a  calm  sea  and  a  bright  sunshine.  At 
six  p.  m.,  after  an  unusually  stormy  passage,  we  dropped  an- 
chor in  the  Mersey,  opposite  Liverpool,  the  great  shipping 
emporium  of  the  world.  The  landing  and  getting  through  the 
custom-house  will  form  a  portion  of  the  next  chapter. 


20 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Landing  at  Liverpool — Ride  to  London. 

The  close  of  the  last  chapter  found  us  anchored  in  the  Mer- 
sey, after  a  run  from  Boston  to  Liverpool,  of  a  little  more  than 
three  thousand  miles,  in  twelve  days  and  eight  hours. 

GETTING   THROUGH   THE  CUBTOM-HOUSE 

"Was  not  as  formidable  a  task  as  I  had  supposed.  The  mails 
were  first  taken  on  shore.  After  an  impatient  waiting  of  near- 
ly an  hour,  the  tardy  custom-house  officer  made  his  appearance, 
accompanied  by  a  man  with  a  plate  of  paste  and  a  handful  of 
labels.    The  search  was  far  less  rigid  than  I  had  anticipated. 

It  came  my  turn.  "  Your  name,  sir  ? "  This  was  hastily  writ- 
ten in  a  book  he  carried  in  his  hand.  "  How  many  packages, 
sir  ? "  "  Two,  sir."  I  had  two  traveling  bags.  "  Got  any  to- 
bacco or  ardent  spirits  ?  "  "  No,  sir ;  don't  deal  in  such  com- 
modities. You  can  see  what  I  have,  sir."  Taking  out  my 
keys,  I  was  about  to  open  my  bags.  "Without  waiting  for  this, 
he  took  hold  of  each,  gave  it  a  nervous  pressure  between  his 
hands ;  and,  as  if  comprehending,  by  intuition,  the  character 
of  the  contents — "  All  right,  sir ;  let  them  pass."  The  paste- 
man  clapped  a  label  on  them,  by  virtue  of  which  they  went 
through  the  gangway,  and  I  followed  after. 

The  search  was  most  rigid  after  tobacco,  ardent  spirits,  and 
— if  the  traveler  had  books — for  American  reprints  of  English 
works.  The  former  pay  heavy  duties ;  and  the  latter  is  con- 
sidered a  kind  of  literary  piracy,  that  meets  with  no  favor.  If 
such  books  are  found,  they  are  committed  to  the  flames  without 
the  least  compunction  on  the  part  of  the  officers,  or  of  compas- 
sion to  the  owner. 

A  few  minutes  more,  and  I  was  enjoying  the  comforts  of  an 
excellent  hotel,  named  Victoria,  in  honor,  I  suppose,  of  her 


A    RIDE    IN  ENGLAND. 


21 


Royal  Highness.  I  found  the  accommodations  excellent,  at  an 
expense  of  about  eight  shillings  sterling  (or  two  dollars)  per  day. 

Liverpool  is  noted,  principally,  for  its  shipping  accommoda- 
tions and  fine  docks.  Of  these,  it  has  now  seven  miles  in 
length,  all  walled  in,  and  protected  by  massive  gates,  like  the 
locks  of  a  canal.  This  renders  the  shipping  very  secure.  The 
city  is  a  place  of  great  business,  but  it  has  few  attractions  for 
the  visitor.  The  only  building  of  special  note  is  St.  George's 
Hall.    It  is  said  to  be  the  finest  public  hall  in  the  kingdom. 

LIVERPOOL   TO  LONDON. 

January  25th.  I  left  the  depot  at  Liverpool  at  nine  o'clock 
a.  m.,  on  the  Great  Northwestern  Railway,  for  London.  I  am 
now  taking  my  first  views  of  England  and  English  scenery. 
To  an  American,  the  absence  of  timber,  and  the  high,  state  of 
cultivation  bestowed  upon  the  soil,  are  striking  features  of  the 
landscape.  The  houses  all  look  old.  They  lack  the  architec- 
tural lightness  and  beauty,  and  the  neatness  of  appearance, 
that  characterize  the  farm-houses  of  our  own  land.  All  the 
main  roads  are  macadamized.  Land  is  more  valuable  than 
with  us,  and  far  less  is  appropriated  to  highways.  Many  of 
them  are  very  narrow.  All  railroad  crossings  go  either  over 
or  under,  thus  securing  safety  to  passing  trains.  Every  thing 
bears  the  stamp  of  age.  Evergreens  are  seen  in  abundance ; 
while  the  ivy,  finding  a  congenial  home  among  the  molderi ng 
ruins  of  age,  is  seen  climbing  every  where — shrouding,  with  its 
beautiful  festoons  of  living  green,  the  decay  and  ruin  of  death. 
Numerous  villages  dot  the  country.  Multitudes  of  great  black 
smoke-stacks,  amid  slender  steeples  and  heavy  church-towers, 
side  by  side,  rise  in  majesty  towards  the  heavens.  Thus  the 
indications  of  religion  and  industry  are  generally  found  in  close 
proximity.  With  the  smoke  of  the  furnace  goes  up  the  in- 
cense of  worship ;  with  the  hum  of  machinery  is  mingled  the 
anthem  of  praise.  England  looks  like  a  finished  country.  Has 
it  reached  the  zenith  of  its  power  and  prosperity  ?  How  I6ng 
will  it  retain  its  present  high  position  ? 


22 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


A  ride  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  in  nine  hours, 
at  an  expense  of  seven  dollars,  and  I  was 

IN  LONDON. 

London !  the  great  metropolis  of  England  and  the  mart  of 
the  world.  I  was  set  down  at  Euston  station,  and  a  cabman 
immediately  transferred  me  to  a  commercial  hotel,  near  the 
post-office,  in  the  very  heart  of  this  great  Babel — a  perfect  laby- 
rinth of  streets  and  squares,  warehouses  and  stores,  churches 
and  palaces— where  near  three  millions  of  people,  of  all  classes, 
grades,  and  conditions,  find  a  home;  a  city  that  covers  sev- 
enty-eight thousand  acres  of  ground — where,  every  year,  they 
consume  fourteen  million  bushels  of  wheat,  eat  up  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  bullocks,  two  million  sheep,  thirty 
thousand  calves,  forty  thousand  pigs,  and  fish,  and  game, 
and  vegetables  in  proportion ;  a  city  where,  besides  all  other 
drinks,  fifty  million  gallons  of  porter  and  two  million  gallons 
of  ardent  spirits  are  annually  poured  out  in  libations  to  un- 
natural and  voracious  appetites — where  it  takes  twenty-five 
thousand  tailors  to  make  their  clothes,  thirty  thousand  shoe- 
makers to  take  care  of  their  feet,  and  forty  thousand  milliners 
and  dress-makers  to  attend  to  their  habits — where  an  army  of 
more  than  twenty  thousand  servants  are  daily  employed,  and 
the  smoke  of  their  coal-fires  darkens  the  country  for  more  than 
thirty  miles  around. 

The  immediate  design  of  coming  to  London  now,  was  to 
make  the  necessary 

ARRANGEMENTS   FOR   MY  JOURNEY. 

Before  leaving  home,  I  had,  of  course,  procured  from  Wash- 
ington a  passport  for  foreign  travel.    This  ran  as  follows : 

United  States  of  America  :  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall 
come — Greeting :  I,  the  undersigned,  Secretary  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  hereby  request  all  whom  it  may  concern,  to  permit  safely 
and  freely  to  pass  the  Rev.  D.  A.  Randall,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States; 
and  in  case  of  need,  to  give  him  all  lawful  aid  and  protection.  [Then 
follows  a  description  of  the  bearer's  person.] 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  impression  of  the  seal  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  State  at  the  city  of  Washington,  the  14th  day  of  December, 
A.  D.  1860,  in  the  85th  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States. 


PASSPORT    AND  FINANCES. 


23 


This  was  duly  sealed  with  the  American  Arms,  and  signed, 
Lewis  Cass. 

In  going  into  England,  no  passport  is  needed ;  but  other  Eu- 
ropean countries  cannot  be  entered  without  one.  Between 
France  and  England  the  passport  system  has  recently  been 
abolished  for  citizens  of  the  two  countries,  but  not  for  others. 
I  decided  to  take  the  route  to  Paris,  Marseilles,  and  thence  to 
Alexandria,  i»  preference  to  a  long  sea  voyage  from  Southamp- 
ton, through  the  straits  of  Gibraltar*;  the  former  being  quicker 
and  easier.  Having  decided  to  enter  France,  the  first  thing 
was  to  have  my  passport  properly  recognized — or,  as  it  is  called, 
vised;  that  is,  a  certificate  upon  it,  that  it  has  been  examined 
by  the  proper  authorities,  and  that  the  person  who  bears  i£  is 
permitted  to  proceed  on  his  journey.  The  first  was  a  visit  to 
the  American  consul,  who  gave  it  his  official  recognition  and 
seal.  Services  gratuitous.  This  prepared  the  way  for  a  visit 
to  the  French  consul,  whose  indorsement  made  it  good  for 
France.  Fee  one  dollar.  Your  passport  must  be  counter- 
signed in  the  country  you  are  about  to  leave  by  a  consul  or 
embassador  from  the  country  to  which  you  are  going.  The 
next  thing  was  my 

FINANCIAL  ARRANGEMENTS. 

If  money  in  Solomon's  time  answered  all  things,  much  more 
will  it  with  the  modern  traveler.  He  can  do  nothing  without 
it.  It  is  the  Aladdin's  lamp  to  bring  what  he  wishes,  the  talis- 
man to  open  hearts,  and  unlock  doors.  Every  step  of  his  way 
must  be  paid,  and  every  hand  lifted  for  him  must  be  crossed 
with  silver. 

Most  of  the  large  banking  houses  of  London  have  agents  in 
the  principal  cities  of  our  States,  through  whose  agency  funds 
can  be  transferred  to  London  without  risk  or  loss,  and  some- 
times with  gain,  if  exchange  happens  to  be,  as  is  often  the  case, 
in  our  favor.  A  certificate  of  deposit  from  Baring  Brothers' 
agent  in  Boston  gave  me  ready  admission  to  their  extensive 
business  house  in  London.  From  them  I  received  a  "Letter 
of  Credit,"  addressed  to  the  various  banking  houses  in  the 
cities  through  which  I  expected  to  go.    This  letter  certified 


24 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


that  I  had  deposited  so  much  money  with  them,  and  that  my 
draft  would  be  honored  to  any  amount  not  exceeding  that  sum. 
On  this  letter  I  could  draw  money  in  any  city  I  visited.  This 
is  a  great  convenience  to  the  traveler,  as  it  entirely  obviates 
the  necessity  and  risk  of  taking  a  large  sum  of  money  with 
him.  In  one  city  he  can  draw  just  what  he  needs  until  he 
gets  to  the  next,  and  can  draw  in  the  currency  of  the  country 
in  which  he  happens  to  be.  Similar  arrangements  can  also  be 
made  with  American  banking  houses.  Another  method  of 
transmitting  funds  has  recently  been  devised,  of  great  conveni- 
ence to  the  traveler.  "What  is  called  circular  notes  of  five  or 
ten  pounds  sterling  are  issued  by  several  of  the  banking  houses 
of  Jiondon.  These  notes  form  a  very  safe  and  convenient  kind 
of  letter  of  credit.  Arrangements  for  cashing  them  are  made 
in  all  the  countries  of  the  East,  so  very  simple  and  efficient  as 
almost  entirely  to  exclude  the  possibility  of  fraud ;  and  if  they 
are  lost  or  stolen,  they  are  useless  to  the  person  finding  them, 
and  the  owner  can  have  them  replaced  by  others.  1 

Should  a  person  be  disposed  to  carry  any  amount  of  specie 
with  him,  he  should  take  the  gold  sovereigns  of  England  or  the 
ISTapoleons  of  France.  In  Egypt  the  sovereigns  answer  as  well. 
In  Syria,  Turkey,  Greece  and  Italy  the  French  Napoleon  is 
better  known  and  preferred.  These  arrangements  made,  w.e 
are  ready  to  proceed  immediately  on  our  journey.  We  have 
some  other  general  directions  to  give  travelers,  but  will  defer 
them  till  further  experience  has  increased  our  stock  of  knowl- 
edge. We  cannot  leave  here  till  Monday  next,  and  we  may 
improve  the  time  in 

A    WALK   ABOUT   THE  CITY 

I  have  not  the  time  or  space  to  give  the  reader  even  a 
glimpse  of  the  many  wonderful  things  that  can  be  seen  in  one 
brief  walk  in  this  great  metropolis.  I  should  like  to  take  him 
to  the  top  of  some  of  the  tall  monuments  that  overlook  the 
city — to  the  palaces  and  the  museums;  to  walk  with  him 
among  the  massive  fortifications  of  Old  London  Tower — 
through  the  rooms  where  nobles,  princes,  kings  and  queens 
have  been  incarcerated;  to  stand  with  him  on  Tower  Hill, 


A    SUNDAY    IN  LONDON. 


25 


where  the  scaffold  and  the  executioner's  block  tell  their  dark 
tales  of  treachery  and  blood.  I  should  like  to  go  with  him  to 
Westminster  Abbey — a  wonderful  pile — a  venerable  old  church, 
and  the  great  sepulchral  home  of  England's  honored  dead.  It 
is  worth  a  journey  across  the  Atlantic  to  take  a  stroll  through 
its  cold,  damp  aisles  and  chapels;  to  stand  amid  its  costly 
monuments  and  moldering  dust,  where  death  for  many  long 
centuries  has  been  gathering  his  trophies,  and  his  dark  gar- 
lands have  been  interwoven  with  the  adornments  of  human 
skill  and  genius.  We  have  in  a  very  brief  space  of  time  treas- 
ured many  an  interesting  fact  and  story  for  our  readers,  but 
we  must  defer  their  recital  until  our  return,  for  We  hope  to  see 
these  things  again.  But  we  have  a  Sunday  to  spend  in  London 
before  we  can  leave,  and  we  will  go  and  hear  some  of  the  cele- 
brated preachers  of  the  place.  Among  them  are  several  whose 
fame  has  reach  our  own  side  of  the  water.  .  At  11  o'clock  this 
morning 

THE    REV.  C.  H.  SPURGEON 

Preaches  in  Exeter  Hall.  We  will  go  and  hear  him. 
Though  this  is  the  most  capacious  room  in  the  city,  capable  of 
accommodating  several  thousand  people,  we  must  be  early  or 
we  shall  not  get  a  seat.  See  the  crowd  come  pouring  into  the 
great  reservoir.  Every  seat,  from  pulpit  to  the  remotest  corner, 
from  lower  floor  to  highest  gallery,  is  filled,  and  many  are  com- 
pelled to  remain  standing  in  the  aisles. 

The  secret  of  this  preacher's  popularity  is  a  problem  upon 
which  many  have  speculated  and  a  great  variety  of  opinions 
have  been  advanced.  He  was  invited  to  London  in  1854,  and 
was  then  only  twenty  years  old.  He  immediately  attracted 
public  attention,  and  crowds  thronged  to  hear  him — the  largest 
audience  rooms  failed  to  accommodate  the  multitudes.  When 
he  preached  in  the  Crystal  Palace  more  than  twenty  thousand 
persons  were  in  attendance. 

He  arises  to  commence  the  service.  The  attention  of  the 
vast  audience  is  at  once  arrested,  and  a  profound  silence  pre- 
vails. He  is  a  man  of  medium  hight,  thick  set,  and  has  a 
very  short  neck.  His  face  is  full,  round  and  smooth,  and  when 
in  repose  his  lips  so  drawn  apart  as  to  show  the  two  upper 


26 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


front  teeth,  which  have  an  ivory  whiteness.  He  carries  ii 
pleasant  countenance,  and  his  complexion  is  very  fair  and 
ruddy,  reminding  me  of  the  description  given  of  the  yonthfnl 
David  when  Samuel  was  sent  to  anoint  him  king.  One  promi- 
nent element  of  his  power  is  in  his  voice ;  orotund,  clear  and 
full,  it  possesses  great  volume,  and  is  mellow  and  sympathetic. 
Very  few  preachers -have  a  voice  of  such  power  and  distinct- 
ness. Yet  gifted  as  he  is  in  this  particular  by  nature,  art  might 
do  for  him  much  more.  In  modulation,  depth,  and  especially 
in  pathos,  it  might  be  made  much  more  effective.  The  enunci- 
ation and  number  of  the  first  hymn,  and  the  reading  of  the 
first  lines,  were  distinctly  heard  to  the  remotest  extremity  of 
the  great  hall.  He  reads  well — even  his  hymns  are  read  with 
effect,  which  can  be  said  of  very  few  preachers.  His  hymn 
read  through,  he  returned,  as  is  his  uniform  practice,  and  re- 
read a  verse  at  a  time,  directing  the  singing — a  chorister  stand- 
ing at  his  side — now  soft,  now  slow,  now  with  force  and  ener- 
gy; and  when  a  whole  vast  congregation  joined,  it  was  singing 
such  as  we  seldom  hear.  But  his  voice  alone  would  not  give 
him  popularity.  I  have  known  preachers  who  were  far  his  su- 
periors in  this,  who  failed  to  attract  attention. 

His  sermon  was  not  a  great  one.  In  systematic  arrangement, 
brilliancy  and  concentration  of  thought,  and  power  of  illustra- 
tion, I  have  heard  many  better  ones  in  our  own  land.  But 
there  is  something  about  him  that  attracts,  pleases  and  fixes 
the  attention.  His  language  is  plain  idiomatic  Saxon.  His 
elocution  of  the  most  easy  and  natural  kind,  like  the  converse 
of  friend  with  friend.  He  stands  among  his  audience  as  though 
he  was  one  of  them.  As  you  look  at  him  you  instinctively  feel 
that  you  are  in  the  presence  of  one  who  feels  for  you,  can  sym- 
pathize with  you,  and  wants  to  do  you  good.  You  feel  a  confi- 
dence in  his  power,  and  are  willing  to  be  instructed  and  led  by 
him.  Other  elements  of  his  popularity  are  found  in  his  vivaci- 
ty of  thought,  his  dramatic  mode  of  presenting  his  subjects,  the 
variety  he  manages  to  introduce  into  almost  every  sermon,  and 
in  the  fact  that  his  messages  come  fresh  and  earnest  from  a 
warm  and  feeling  heart. 

Though  I  say  his  sermon  was  not  a  great  one,  still,  I  can  say 


A   SUNDAY   IN  PAKIS. 


27 


I  was  not  disappointed.  But  whatever  any  individual  opinion 
of  him  may  be,  it  will  not  do  to  deny  him  the  credit  of  being  a 
great,  a  popular,  and  a  useful  man.  We  must  measure  men, 
uot  so  much  by  what  they  seem  to  be,  or  by  any  detached,  or 
single  effort,  but  by  the  aggregate,  and  the  results  of  their 
labors.  You  can  no  more  measure  a  structure  by  a  few  of  its 
stones,  than  you  can  measure  a  man  by  a  few  of  his  deeds. 

The  man  who,  commencing  in  mere  boyhood,  and  yet  but  a 
young  man,  preaching  several  years  in  succession  in  the  same 
place,  and  in  the  very  metropolis  of  learning  and  civilization, 
can  continue  to  attract  crowds  to  hear  him ;  whose  extempore 
sermons,  as  they  fall  from  his  lips,  are  fit  for  publication,  and 
volume  after  volume,  as  they  come  from  the  press,  can  be  sold 
by  thousands,  and  are  read  with  eagerness  and  profit  on  both 
continents;  to  whom  not  only  the  common  people  but  the  lof- 
tiest minds  listen  gladly,  and  hang  with  rapture  on  his  glowing- 
words;  whose  labors  have  been  blessed  to  the  conversion  of 
thousands ;  whose  resources  as  a  preacher  seem  never  to  be  ex- 
hausted or  diminished;  who  from  a  small  nucleus  has  raised 
up  around  him  a  church  of  more  than  two  thousand  members'; 
by  whose  efforts  funds  have  been  raised,  and  a  new  house  of 
worship  nearly  completed  at  an  expense  of  $150,000;  and 
whose  influence  is  felt  in  all  protestant  Christendom,  must  be 
a  gifted  and  wonderful  man,  even  though  critics,  in  the  analysis 
to  which  they  subject  him,  may  be  puzzled  to  discover  the  con- 
stituent elements  of  which  that  greatness  is  composed.  In  the 
evening  after  hearing  Mr.  Spurgeon  I  had  the  privilege  of 
hearing  the  celebrated 

DR.  CUMMINGS. 

His  books  have  been  extensively  read  in  America,  and  he  is 
reckoned  among  the  most  popular  preachers  of  the  land.  The 
house  which  would  seat  ten  or  twelve  hundred  was  about  two- 
thirds  filled.  Strangers  stood  in  the  aisles  or  about  the  doors, 
until  after  the  singing  of  the  first  hymn,  to  give  pew-holders 
and  regular  attendants  an  opportunity  to  occupy  their  seats. 
Then  they  were  at  liberty  to  take  any  unoccupied  seats,  as  it 
>yas  presumed  the  owners  would  not  be  present.    The  singing, 


28 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


as  in  most  of  the  dissenting  chapels,  was  congregational,  the 
chorister  occupying  a  place  in  front  of  the  speaker's  desk. 
The  preacher  is  a  tall,  heavy  man,  rather  coarse  features,  a 
high  forehead  and  well  balanced  head,  with  a  mild  and  pleas- 
ant countenance,  beaming  with  kindness  and  benevolence.  In 
several  respects  he  is  the  antipodes  of  Spurgeon,  while  both 
have  many  excellent  qualities.  There  is  nothing  stirring  or 
enthusiastic  in  his  manner — he  is  calm,  dignified  and  attrac- 
tive. To  a  mind  gifted  by  nature  he  has  united  a  refined  taste, 
and  the  adornments  of  a  finished  education.  Rich  in  his  con- 
ceptions and  lucid  in  his  illustrations — language  elegant  and 
copious — voice  low,  soft  and  musical  as  the  tones  of  a  flute,  he 
charms  and  instructs  his  audience,  and  holds  them  often  in 
breathless  silence.  I  do  not  look  upon  him  as  one  of  the 
greatest,  but  as  one  of  the  most  accomplished  and  useful 
preachers  of  the  age.  Seldom  have  I  spent  an  hour  of  greater 
interest  than  I  passed  in  his  church,  and  I  shall  long  remember 
it  with  pleasure. 


A    KAILKOAD  RIDE. 


29 


CHAPTER  III. 

London  to  Paris — Paris  to  Marseilles. 

We  have  seen  but  little  of  the  great  city,  London,  but  we 
must  hasten  our  departure — I  hope  we  shall  see  more  of  it  on 
oui  return ;  so  now  away  to  Paris,  the  metropolis  of  gayety, 
beauty  and  fashion. 

I  There  are  several  different  routes  from  London  to  Paris. 
The  quickest  is  by  the  Southeastern  Railway  to  Folkstone, 
Dover  and  Calais.  On  this  route  the  journey  is  accomplished 
in  a  little  over  ten  hours,  at  an  expense  of  about  ten  dollars. 
The  best  route  for  economists,  both  of  time  and  money,  is 
from  London  to  New  Haven  by  rail,  thence  across  the  channel, 
about  seventy  miles,  by  steamer  to  Dieppe,  thence  by  rail  to 
Paris — first  class  fare  about  seven  dollars  and  a  half,  second 
five  dollars. 

We  left  London  Bridge  Station  at  20  minutes  past  10  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  and  at  9  o'clock  the  next  morning  were  in 

DIEPPE,  prance. 

Here  we  had  to  pass  the  custom-house.  Our  baggage  was 
examined,  and  our  passport  received  the  official  signature  of 
the  police,  to  be  produced  in  any  emergency  as  evidence  that 
we  were  lawfully  in  the  country.  "We  had  a  stroll  of  a  couple 
of  hours  about  the  town  before  leaving  for  Paris.  The  city  is 
an  antique  looking  place,  of  about  sixteen  thousand  inhabitants. 
It  has  a  fine  harbor,  commanded  by  a  citadel,  and  a  formidable 
and  picturesque  old  castle.  The  only  thing  I  saw  worthy  of 
special  note  was  a  venerable  old  stone  church  of  fine  architec- 
ture, massive,  moss-grown  walls,  and  ivy-decked  towers.  At 

II  o'clock  we  were  again  on  our  way.  A  railroad  ride  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  and  our  train  stopped  in  a  spa- 


30 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


cious  and  magnificent  depot,  the  door  of  our  car  was  thrown 
open,  and  the  conductor  called  out 

PARIS. 

I  could  not  pride  myself  upon  any  superior  knowledge  of 
French,  and  now  that  I  was  among  Frenchmen,  I  felt  a  strong 
reluctance  at  attempting  to  speak  in  tongues.  I  stood,  travel- 
ing-bag in  hand,  a  dozen  natives  around  me.  "Any  one  here 
that  can  speak  English  ? "  said  I.  "  Yat  you  vants,  zur  ? "  said  an 
attractive  little  Frenchman.  " Yants  ze  a  hack,  zur?"  "Yes, 
sir."  He  politely  accompanied  me  to  a  stand,  asked  my  desti- 
nation, exchanged  a  few  words  with  the  driver,  saw  me  in, 
bowed  politely,  and  I  tossed  him  a  "thank  'e  sir"  in  return. 
On  went  the  driver,  I  know  not  how  far,  through  street  after 
street,  among  long  rows  of  buildings,  and  by  many  a  splendid 
mansion,  until  at  last  he  reigned  in  his  steed,  threw  open  the 
door  and  announced 

GRAND   HOTEL   DE  LOUVRE. 

Paris  boasts  of  its  splendid  hotel  accommodations,  and  of 
these  the  Louvre  ranks  among  the  first.  It  is  said  to  be  the 
largest  and  most  splendid  hotel  on  the  continent.  This  and 
ether  hotels  of  Paris  are  a  kind  of  a  mixture  of  the  American 
and  English.  You  pay  a  fixed  price  for  your  room.  This  is 
proportioned  to  the  distance  up — on  the  second  floor,  say  three 
and  a  half  francs,  or  about  seventy  cents  a  day,  and  an  addi- 
tional frank  a  day  for  servant's  attendance.  The  tables  have 
fixed  rates  for  every  thing  you  call  for — coffee,  and  bread  and 
butter,  thirty  cents ;  two  boiled  eggs,  ten  cents ;  beefsteak,  for- 
ty cents ;  and  so  on.  There  is  a  public  table  for  dinner  at  6 
o'clock,  to  which  all  that  choose  may  come  at  a  cost  of  seven 
francs  for  each  person.  If  you  choose  to  take  your  meals  at 
some  other  house  you  can  do  so,  and  in  that  case  you  pay  only 
for  your  room. 

The  uninitiated  traveler  calculates  the  expense  of  his  room, 
and  adds  his  table  fare,  and  concludes  his  expenses  are  quite 
moderate.  "Wait  a  little  till  your  bill  is  presented.  You  go  to 
your  room — no  gas,  no  candles.    You  ring  for  a  servant. 


HOTEL  CHAKGES. 


31 


"  John,  bring  me  a  light."  He  comes  in  with  two  fine  sperm 
candles.  "John,  I  see  there  is  no  soap  here;  bring  in  a  cake." 
You  sit  down,  your  room  feels  damp  and  chill}7.  Another  ring 
of  the  bell :  "  John,  light  a  little  fire  for  me,  it  seems  cold  here." 
The  time  of  settlement  comes ;  you  call  for  your  bill :  Eooni 
and  service,  four  and  a  half  francs — all  right.  Eestaurant — 
all  so.  Two  sperm  candles,  two  francs.  "  Why,  you  don't  charge 
for  candles?"  "Certainly,  candles  are  always  extra."  One 
cake  of  soap,  half  a  franc.  "  What,  charge  for  soap  ? "  "Yes, 
monsieur,  soap  is  extra."  One  basket  of  wood,  two  francs. 
"  What,  wood  extra,  too  ? "    "  Certainly,  always,  sir." 

Thus  the  American  who  has  been  accustomed  at  a  home 
hotel  to  pay  so  much  per  diem,  and  have  every  comfort  and 
luxury  included,  is  surprised  to  find  his  bill  largely  increased 
by  a  long  string  of  extras,  though  he  may  not  have  burned  an 
inch  of  the  candles,  or  washed  the  gloss  from  his  cake  of  soap. 
And  what  is  more  vexatious,  the  customs  change  with  almost 
every  city,  and  you  are  constantly  surprised  and  vexed  at  the 
ingenuity  of  your  host  in  bringing  in  such  an  endless  variety 
of  extras.  At  a  hotel  in  Marseilles  where  I  was  eating  at  the 
public  table,  not  wishing  to  drink  the  wines  furnished  with  the 
dinner,  I  called  for  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  was  surprised  to  find  in 
my  bill,  "Dinner,  eighty  cents;  coffee  extra,  twenty-five  cents;" 
and  when  eating  in  Athens,  and  calling  for  a  cup  of  tea,  the 
bill  involved  an  extra  charge  for  the  tea,  another  for  the  milk, 
and  another  for  the  sugar,  and  I  wonder  they  had  not  made  an 
extra  charge  for  the  water.  But  the  traveler  soon  learns  how 
to  manage  these  things.  In  traveling  on  the  continent,  carry 
your  candles  and  soap  with  you.  But  enough  of  hotel  arrange- 
ments.   Let  us  take  a  look  at  this 

BEAUTIFUL   CITY  —  PARIS. 

Paris  is  all  of  France,  and  is  justly  the  pride  of  the  nation. 
It  is  fifteen  English  miles  in  circumference,  and  contains  about 
one  million  two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is,  indeed, 
a  city  of  magnificent  buildings,  splendid  palaces,  large  and 
costly  churches,  and  beautiful  parks  and  ornamental  fountains. 
Ko  other  city  of  the  continent  can  compare  with  it  in  the  ex- 


32 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


tent,  richness  and  beauty  of  its  adornments.  It  is  not  excelled, 
probably  not  equaled,  by  any  other  city  in  the  world. 

But  I  am  not  here  to  spend  time  among  the  attractions  of 
the  place  now;  I  have  only  two  or  three  days  to  make  a  hasty 
visit  to  some  of  them,  and  complete  arrangements  for  the  con- 
tinuance of  my  journey.  I  expect  to  return  here  on  my  way 
home,  and  then,  if  the  limits  of  our  book  will  permit,  I  will 
furnish  the  reader  with  a  notice  of  some  of  the  prominent  and 
attractive  localities  of  the  place. 

A   SUNDAY   IN  PARIS. 

I  have  a  Sunday  to  spend  in  Paris.  Where  shall  I  attend 
church  ?  ~Now  I  begin  to  realize  that  I  am  in  a  Catholic  coun- 
try. All  around  me  are  massive  churches,  with  tolling  bells, 
and  open  doors  inviting  to  worship,  but  my  heart  is  not  in 
sympathy  with  them.  Costly  pictures,  sculptured  statues, 
burning  tapers  and  golden  crucifixes,  however  much  they  may 
inspire  devotion  in  those  educated  by  them,  for  me  had  no  at- 
tractions. I  turned  from  them  all  to  the  little  American  chapel 
in  Rue  de  Berry,  built  in  part  by  contributions  from  my  native 
land.  Here  I  found  a  neat  Gothic  structure,  capable  of  accom- 
modating three  to  four  hundred  persons.  About  two  hundred 
American  and  English  were  in  attendance.  The  Church  of 
England  service  was  being  read.  "With  a  devout  heart,  and  a 
cheerful  voice,  I  joined  with  the  worshiping  assembly.  This 
was  immediately  followed  by  a  non-liturgical  service,  with 
preaching  by  a  stranger,  whom,  on  stopping  to  speak  with 
after  service,  I  found  to  be  Rev.  Dr.  McClintock,  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  New  York  City.  Returning  from  church,  our 
way  lies  through 

THE    CHAMPS   ELYSEES,    OR   ELYSIAN  FIELDS. 

It  is  certainly  appropriately  named.  It  is  a  beautiful  and 
extensive  park,  a  continuation  of  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries, 
and  facing  that  splendid  palace.  On  one  side  of  it  flow  the 
waters  of  the  Seine.  Nature  has  scattered  over  it  her  beauties 
with  a  lavish  hand,  and  art  has  done  still  more  to  enrich  and 
adorn  the  place.    Here  are  beautiful  groves,  shady  walks,  a  pro- 


A    BEAUTIFUL  PAKE. 


33 


fusion  of  statu ary,  gushing  fountains,  songs  of  birds  and  odors 
of  beautiful  flowers.  It  was  a  strange  sensation  that  came 
over  me,  I  cannot  describe  my  emotions,  or  find  words  to  ex- 
press the  reflections  that  crowded  upon  me,  as  I  stood  upon 
the  now  lovliest  spot  in  all  Paris, 

THE    PLACE   D  E   LA  CONCORDE, 

An  open  space  between  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries  and 
these  Elysian  Fields,  and  was  told  that  here  had  been  enacted 
some  of  the  bloodiest  tragedies  that  have  characterized  the 
history  of  this  fickle  and  restless  people.  Just  where  I  now 
stand,  just  where  these  costly  and  elegant  fountains,  sur- 
rounded by  elaborate  and  gigantic  pieces  of  statuary,  are 
making  music  by  the  gush  of  their  dashing  waters,  was  erected 
the  guillotine  of  the  bloody  revolution.  Here  the  head  of 
Robespierre  was  severed  from  his  body ;  here  the  blood  of  no- 
bles, kings,  and  emperors  has  reddened  the  earth.  Flow  on, 
ye  gushing  waters.  Bathe  with  thy  pure  and  limpid  streams 
this  memorable  spot.  Alas !  thou  canst  never  wash  away  the 
crimson  stains. 

Monday,  Feb.  £th.  Interesting  as  it  would  be  to  take  you  to 
the  churches,  palaces,  gardens,  museums  and  picture  galleries 
of  Paris,  we  cannot  linger  here.  We  must  hasten  on  to  other 
lands,  where  we  can  visit,  not  the  magnificence  and  splendor  of 
the  present  and  the  living,  but  the  ruins  and  monuments  of  the 
past  and  departed. 

My  arrangements  are  now  all  completed.  An  English 
steamer  leaves  Marseilles  on  Wednesday  morning  for  Alexan- 
dria, and  I  must  be  there.  I  had  to  get  the  vise  of  the  Ameri- 
can consul  to  my  passport,  also  a  vise  of  a  French  consul  for 
Egypt  and  Syria,  and  a  clearance  from  the  chief  of  police. 
These  official  favors  cost  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents.  At 
11  o'clock  I  was  at  the  depot  of  the  Paris  and  Lyons  road, 
ready  for  a  ride  of  five  hundred  and  forty  miles  to  Marseilles, 
nearly  due  south.  For  this  ride  a  first  class  ticket  costs  twenty 
dollars ;  second  class,  fifteen  dollars ;  and  if  you  choose  to  ride 
still  cheaper,  third  class  about  ten  dollars. 

As  we  whirled  onward  I  was  constantly  on  the  alert  to  catch 
3 


34 


EGYPT    ANl5  SINAI. 


every  passing  view  of  this,  to  me,  new  and  strange  country. 
On  leaving  Paris  a  dense  fog  hung  over  the  land,  and  a  cold 
night  had  clothed  trees  and  shrubbery  with  beautiful  decora- 
tions of  a  frosty  whiteness.  Soon  the  fog  cleared  away,  and 
the  cheerful  sun  unrobed  the  landscape  of  its  silver  drapery. 
Our  course  lay  for  some  distance  along  the  valley  of  the  Seine. 
The  face  of  the  country  was  beautiful,  but  the  soil  was  much 
more  shallow  and  unproductive  than  I  had  expected  to  find  it. 
Wherever  the  surface  of  the  hills  was  broken,  they  presented  the 
same  white,  chalky  appearance  as  is  seen  at  Dieppe  and  Dover. 
In  this 

RIDE    THROUGH  FRANCE, 

We  were  rapidly  leaving  winter  behind.  The  fields  gradu- 
ally assumed  a  green  and  spring-like  aspect.  Soon  we  came 
upon  the  vineyard  plantations.  Acres  and  acres  of  vines 
clothed  the  hillsides  in  every  direction.  The  country  is  highly 
cultivated.  Occasionally  a  village  in  the  valley  by  some  run- 
ning stream,  or  upon  the  hillside,  gave  life  and  charm  to  the 
landscape.  At  one  time  we  passed  through  a  large  tract,  cov- 
ered with  a  stunted  growth  of  timber,  looking  much  like  some 
of  our  dwarf  oak  openings.  One  thing  that  arrests  the  atten- 
tion of  an  American,  is  the  small  amount  of  land  appropriated 
to  public  roads,  and  the  small  number  of  carriages  or  wheeled 
vehicles  seen.  These  are  luxuries  the  farming  population  can- 
not afford.  Their  land  is  tilled  in  the  most  economical  man- 
ner, and  every  possible  retrenchment  is  made.  But  little  tim- 
ber is  seen,  and  of  that  little  the  most  is  made.  If  a  tree  is  cut 
down,  every  chip  and  piece  of  bark  is  saved.  Even  the  mi- 
nutest twigs  are  gathered  up  by  the  children,  tied  in  little  pack- 
ages about  the  size  of  one's  wrist,  and  sold  in  the  cities  for 
lighting  fires.  This  close  economy  in  fuel,  soil  and  produce,  to 
one  coming  from  a  land  where  we  annually  waste  enough  to 
support  an  empire,  seems  like  unnecessary  carefulness;  but  it  is 
one  of  the  necessities  of  a  thickly  populated  country.  France, 
like  England,  looks  old — the  gray  hairs  of  age  are  upon  it.  A 
ride  of  three  hundred  and  sixteen  miles  brought  us  to  the  city 
of  Lyons,  the  chief  manufacturing  city  of  France,  with  a  pop- 


A    NIGHT  RIDE. 


35 


illation  of  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand,  at  the 
junction  of  the  two  great  rivers,  the  Saone  and  the  Rhone. 

Darkness  gathered  over  the  scene  and  hid  the  view  of  hill 
and  valley  and  ever  varying  landscape,  and  shut  us  up  to  the 
solitude  of  our  own  reflections.  Just  as  morning  opened  the 
eastern  gates,  and  poured  her  floods  of  light  upon  the  world, 
our  eye  caught  a  distant  view  of^ 

MARSEILLES, 

And — we  were  there.  This  is  the  ancient  Massilla,  and  is 
now  a  city  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. Situated  on  the  Gulf  of  Lyons,  it  is  the  chief  French  port 
of  the  Mediterranean,  and  has  a  safe  and  spacious  harbor,  capa- 
ble of  accommodating  nearly  two  thousand  vessels.  The  old 
town  is  hoary  with  age,  dating  as  far  back  as  six  hundred  years 
before  Christ.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  crooked,  running 
up  and  down  steep  side  hills.  The  new  town  is  better  laid  out 
and  better  built — fine  streets,  buildings,  fountains  and  squares. 
A  beautiful  hill  adjoining  the  town  is  finely  ornamented  as  a 
park,  and  commands  an  extensive  view  of  the  harbor  and  sur- 
rounding country. 

I  found  here  good  accommodations  at  the  "Grand  Hotel  Des 
Empereurs,"  with  plenty  of  extra  charges,  making  a  little  over 
three  dollars  a  day.  My  first  business  was  to  secure  my  passage 
on  one  of  the  steamers  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company 
for  Alexandria.  This  costs  one  hundred  dollars.  My  passport 
having  been  vised  for  Egypt  and  Syria,  I  had  only  to  go  to  the 
chief  of  police,  report  myself  as  wishing  to  leave  the  country, 
and  pay  him  two  francs  for  his  official  permit  stamped  upon 
my  passport.  Very  conjfortable  accommodations  can  be  secured 
on  these  boats,  in  second  cabin  for  fifty  dollars.  The  French 
steamers  carry  for  less  than  the  English.  A  company  of  three 
persons  together  on  the  French  steamers  can  get  a  reduction  of 
twenty  per  cent,  from  regular  rates ;  and,  if  they  choose  to  take 
second  cabin  passage,  which  I  afterward  tested,  and  found  as 
good  as  one  could  desire,  it  very  much  reduces  the  expense  of 
the  passage.  My  arrangements  are  now  all  completed  for  trr 
journey  to  Egypt. 


30 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

Mediterranean  Yoyage — Island  of  Malta — Yarious  Inci- 
dents— Arrival  at  Alexandria. 

Wednesday  morning,  February  26th,  1861,  at  9  o'clock  a.  m., 
the  steamer  Yaletta  left  the  port  of  Marseilles,  bound  to  Alex- 
andria. She  was  one  of  the  boats  of  the  Peninsular  and  Ori- 
ental Company,  known  all  through  this  region  as  the  P.  &  0. 
Company.  This  is  a  wealthy  English  company,  formed  for  the 
purpose  of  transporting  passengers  and  merchandise  to  the  In- 
dies, China  and  Australia,  by  the  way  of  Egypt,  Suez  and  the 
Red  Sea.  They  have  in  constant  employ  upwards  of  fifty  fine 
steamers,  carrying  an  aggregate  of  near  seventy-five  thousand 
tons.  They  have  a  regular  line  from  Southampton,  England, 
a  boat  leaving  every  week,  and  another  from  Marseilles, 
Prance,  leaving  each  week.  From  Southampton  their  vessels 
reach  Gibraltar,  eleven  hundred  and  fifty-one  miles,  in  about 
five  days ;  here  they  stop  from  six  to  twelve  hours,  and  pro- 
ceeding reach  Malta,  nine  hundred  and  eighty-one  miles 
further,  in  about  nine  days.  The  ordinary  stay  at  this  island 
is  about  six  hours,  and  the  whole  voyage  to  Alexandria  is  com- 
pleted in  about  thirteen  days  from  Southampton,  making  a  dis- 
tance in  all  of  twenty-nine  hundred  and  fifty-one  miles.  Pas- 
sengers embarking  at  Marseilles  reach  Malta,  six  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  in  about  two  and  a  half  days,  and  Alexandria  in 
about  four  more,  making  a  run  from  Marseilles  to  Alexandria 
of  fourteen  hundred  and  sixty-nine  miles. 

This  company's  lines  of  communication  extend  to  Suez, 
Aiden,  Ceylon,  Calcutta,  Madras,  Bombay,  Mauritius,  Hong- 
Kong,  Shanghai,  and  many  other  parts  of  the  eastern  world. 
The  rates  of  passage  from  Southampton  to  Alexandria  is,  for 
first  cabin,  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars;  second  cabin,  about 
ninety-five  dollars.  Unless  one  wishes  to  see  the  straits  and 
rock  of  Gibraltar  and  other  places  on  the  ocean  route,  it  is  econ- 


MEDITERRANEAN  VOYAGE. 


omy  of  time,  money  and  comfort  to  go  from  London  or  South- 
ampton by  railroad  to  Paris,  thence  to  Marseilles.  The  letter 
mail  from  London  to  the  East  goes  by  this  route.  There  are 
eight  or  ten  opportunities  every  month  to  go  from  Marseilles 
to  Malta  and  Alexandria. 

As  we  passed  out  of  the  harbor  the  sky  was  clear  and  pleas- 
ant; the  air  balmy  as  summer.  Indeed,  the  glory  and  beauty 
of  spring  were  upon  all  the  landscape.  The  Gulf  of  Lyons, 
over  which  we  had  first  to  pass,  is  noted  for  its  turbulent  winds, 
and  we  did  not  wholly  escape.  Thursday  morning,  upon  going 
on  deck,  I  found  we  were  just  passing  the  Straits  of  Bonifacio — 
Sardinia  upon  the  right,  Corsica  upon  the  left. 

Friday,  Feb.  8th.  This  morning  we  had  a  high  wind  and 
heavy  sea,  producing  much  sea-sickness  among  the  passengers. 
About  9  o'clock  we  were  in  sight  of  Sicily.  We  strained  our 
eyes  as  we  passed,  in  the  direction  of  ^Etna,  anxious  to  catch 
even  a  distant  view  of  his  majestic  form.  But  though  he  lifts 
his  smoky  summit  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  the  clouds 
that  hung  over  the  island,  wrapped  him  in  their  ample  folds 
and  hid  him  from  our  view. 

A  run  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles  brought  us  to  Malta, 
and  we  entered  the  harbor  of  Yaletta,  after  which  our  steamer 
was  named,  about  5  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Breakfast  over, 
We  had  a  couple  of  hours  to  spend  on  shore. 

THE    ISLAND    OP  MALTA, 

So  far  as  it  can  be  seen  from  the  harbor,  is  a  rocky,  barren 
looking  place ;  but  the  cultivated  strips  here  and  there  were  so 
green  and  flourishing,  and  in  such  contrast  with  the  desolate 
winter  of  the  northern  climes  I  had  left  behind  me,  they  pre- 
sented a  most  charming  and  beautiful  appearance.  The  length 
of  the  island  is  about  sixteen  miles,  the  breadth  about  nine. 
Small  as  it  is,  its  location  and  the  important  events  that  have 
transpired  here,  have  invested  it^with  more  interest  than  often 
attaches  to  such  a  limited  extent  of  territory. 

The  Maltese  are  of  African  origin.  They  have  a  swarthy 
skin,  nose  somewhat  flattened,  and  frizzly  hair.  They  are  said 
to  be  a  frugal  and  industrious  people,  and  good  seamen,  but 


38 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


generally  poor,  ignorant  and  superstitious.  The  base  of  their 
language  is  Arabic,  but  bo.th  the  race  and  their  language  have 
become  much  intermixed  with  foreign  elements. 

V ALETT A 

Is  one  of  the  best  harbors  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  strongly 
fortified.  It  is  shut  in  by  land  on  every  side,  and  is  capable  of 
accommodating  about  five  hundred  vessels.  The  town  is  built 
of  stone,  and  the  houses  rise  tier  above  tier  along  the  steep  hill- 
side that  overlooks  the  harbor.  The  streets  are  steep  and  nar- 
row, many  of  them  stone  stairways  cut  in  the  solid  rock,  and 
not  unfrequently  arched  overhead.  I  was  surprised  to  find  the 
city  so  much  of  an  English  town.  The  English  garrison  here 
has  wrought  a  great  change  in  the  manners  and  language  of 
the  people.  A  large  share  of  the  inhabitants  can  talk  English, 
English  names  are  on  the  shop-boards,  English  faces  are  seen 
in  the  stores,  English  soldiers  promenade  the  streets.  The  oc- 
cupation of  this  island  by  the  British  and  the  strong  fortifica- 
tions they  have  erected  here,  is  only  another  evidence  of  their 
sagacity  and  foresight,  for  this  island  is  the  key  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. 

THE    HISTORY    OP   THE  PLACE. 

Its  importance  has  made  it  a  scene  of  contention  for  thous- 
ands of  years.  Many  different  nations  have  looked  upon  it 
with  covetous  eyes,  and  many  a  bloody  battle  has  been  fought 
for  its  possession.  In  1530  it  was  occupied  by  the  Knights  of 
St.  John,  the  Turks  having  expelled  them  from  Rhodes.  Its 
chief  city,  Yaletta,  was  founded  by  the  Grand  Master  of  these 
Knights.  It  soon  became  noted  for  its  great- strength,  and  the 
richness  and  magnificence  of  its  buildings.  One  of  the  most 
venerable  and  interesting  piles  of  the  place  is 

THE    OLD   CHURCH    OF   ST.  JOHN. 

It  has  a  very  ancient  lool^  and  was  built  in  honor  of  the 
patron  saint  of  the  Knights.  It  is  two  hundred  and  forty  feet 
long  and  sixty  wide.  The  sides  are  broken  into  various  chap- 
els, and  when  I  entered  it  devout  worshipers  were  kneeling 


CURIOUS  CUSTOMS. 


30 


here  and  there,  bowing  and  crossing  themselves,  while  gloomy 
looking  monks  and  nuns,  with  ghost-like  apparel  and  silent 
tread,  were  wandering  about  its  immense  corridors. 

The  most  curious  part  of  this  church  is  the  floor.  Beneath 
it  many  of  the  old  Knights  are  entombed,  and  above  them  the 
armorial  bearings  of  all  the  Grand  Masters  of  the  order  are  in- 
laid in  mosaics  of  various  and  beautifully  colored  marbles.  In 
the  chapel  of  the  Madonna  was  formerly  erected  a  massive  and 
curious  ,silver  railing.  Gladly  would  the  French  in  their  con- 
quest have  confiscated  this  rich  treasure,  but  the  wily  monks 
covered  it  with  a  heavy  coat  of  paint,  and  soldier  after  soldier 
passed  it,  and  perhaps  leaned  upon  it,  without  ever  suspecting 
what  a  treasure  was  thus  escaping  their  rapacity.  The  hand 
of  time  has  faded  and  crumbled  the  fine  fresco  paintings  of  the 
dome  of  this  venerable  structure,  but  the  elaborate  mosaic  work 
of  the  floor  is  still  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  every  visitor. 
Among  the  curious  things  I  noticed  here  was  a  novel  method  of 

SELLING  MILK. 

The  milkman  brings  his  flock  of  goats  to  some  convenient 
stand;  takes  one  or  two  at  a  time,  and  leads  them  from  door 
to  door,  and  fills  the  vessel  of  each  customer  with  the  unadul- 
terated beverage,  smoking  warm  from  the  generous  udder. 
This  mode  of  transportation  is  a  great  convenience,  for  among 
these  narrow  streets  and  rocky  stairways,  no  other  milk-cart 
could  possibly  be  taken  through.  In  some  instances  I  saw 
these  novel  milk-carriers  ascending  to  the  upper  stories  of  the 
houses,  leaving  a  portion  of  their  useful  freight,  and  descend- 
ing with  all  the  gravity  and  dignity  of  one  conscious  of  having 
performed  a  meritorious  deed.  Another  curious  mode  of  live- 
lihood is  followed  by  a  class  of  persons  known  as 

THE   MALTESE  DIVERS. 

One  of  them  came  off'  to  our  steamer,  with  a  boy  to  manage 
his  boat,  while  he  should  be  left  free  to  exercise  his  strange  vo- 
cation. His  entire  dress  consisted  of  a  light  pair  of  flannel 
drawers,  short  at  both  ends,  and  a  loose  woolen  shirt  drawn  on 
over  his  head.    Bringing  his  little  craft  alongside,  where  sev- 


40 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


eral  of  us  were  looking  over  the  railiug,  and  divesting  himself 
of  his  upper  robe,  he  stood  before  us  in  his  simple  dress  of  a 
single  garment,  and  commenced  in  a  supplicating  tone  of 
broken  English,.  "  Sixpence,  me  dive  for  sixpence,  gentlemen, 
get  him  quick,  get  him  sure,  one  sixpence,  gentlemen."  Curi- 
ous to  see  the  operation,  I  tossed  a  shilling  into  the  water,  about 
fifteen  feet  from  his  boat.  I  knew  the  water  was  very  deep, 
and  supposed  he  was  going  to  the  bottom  for  it.  But  his  ex- 
perience had  taught  him  an  easier  mode.  He  watched  it  with 
the  eye  of  a  hawk  as  it  descended  from  the  railing  of  the 
steamer,  saw  it  strike  the  water,  and  poising  himself  a  moment 
upon  the  bow  of  his  boat,  like  a  marksman  taking  aim,  head 
first  into  the  sea  he  went.  The  water  was  sufficiently  clear  to 
see  the  whole  process.  Down  he  went  like  an  arrow  shot  from 
a  bow,  outstripping  the  money  in  the  race  for  the  bottom. 
Before  it  had  sunk  fifteen  feet,  such  were  the  celerity  of  his 
movements,  he  had  his  hands  beneath  it,  clasped  in  the  form 
of  a  bowl;  the  shining  piece  dropped  into  the  receptacle;  he 
clapped  it  between  his  teeth,  rose  to  the  surface,  climbed  into 
his  boat,  and  exhibited  the  prize  with  the  air  of  a  conqueror. 
This  was  repeated  several  times,  and  at  every  trial,  with  uner- 
ring certainty,  he  caught  the  prize.  He  then  proposed,  if  any 
one  would  toss  a  quarter  into  the  water  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  steamer,  he  would  dive  under  the  boat  and  bring  it  up. 
But  no  one  seemed  willing  to  risk  the  money,  yet  I  was  assured 
by  those  accustomed  to  their  operations,  that  he  would  as  cer- 
tainly get  it  as  it  was  committed  to  the  water.  To  the  biblical 
student,  this  island  is  a  place  of  great  interest  as  the  scene  of 

PAUL'S  SHIPWRECK. 

"While  yet  the  island  was  in  the  hands  of  barbarians,  before 
chivalrous  knights  had  made  it  a  home,  or  huge  fortresses  of 
stone  had  reared  their  frowning  fronts,  this  great  apostle  to 
the  gentiles,  a  prisoner  for  his  faithful  testimony  to  the  cause 
of  Christ,  was  on  his  way  to  Borne  to  plead  his  own  cause  in 
the  palace  of  the  Csesars. 

On  this  voyage  that  terrible  shipwreck  recorded  in  the  twen- 
ty-seventh of  Acts  overtook  him.    For  many  days  neither  sun 


PAUL'S  SHIPWKECK. 


41 


nor  stars  appeared.  At  last,  after  a  terrible  night  of  suffering, 
daylight  broke  upon  the  distressed  mariners,  revealing  a  little 
creek  and  harbor.  Taking  up  their  anchors,  and  loosing  their 
rudder  bands,  they  hoisted  their  main  sail,  and  ran  their  boat 
on  shore.  They  struck  the  sand  where  two  seas  met,  and  their 
frail  craft  was  dashed  to  pieces.  What  an  hour  of  peril  was 
that!  Yet  the  prediction  of  the  apostle  proved  true,  for  on 
"boards  and  broken  pieces  of  their  ship  they  all  got  safe  to  land." 

They  found  themselves  upon  the  island  of  Melita.  The  place 
of  their  landing  is  still  shown,  about  seven  miles  from  Yaletta. 
I  regretted  that  the  shortness  of  our  stay  prevented  my  visit- 
ing the  place.  It  was,  however,  an  interesting  thought  that  I 
was  passing  over  the  same  waters,  and  was  so  near  the  scene 
of  one  of  the  most  striking  events  in  the  life  of  this  illustrious 
apostle.  I  recalled  his  interview  with  the  barbarous  inhabit- 
ants, the  kindness  shown  him,  the  fire  kindled  from  a  bundle 
of  sticks,  the  venomous  viper  that  leaped  out  from  among 
them  and  fastened  upon  Paul's  hand,  the  hasty  conclusion  of 
the  ignorant  islanders  that  he  was  some  bloody  criminal,  who, 
though  the  gods  had  allowed  him  to  escape  the  perils  of  the 
sea,  they  still  pursued  with  vindictive  justice  upon  the  land. 
They  looked  for  him  to  swell  up  with  the  virulence  of  the  poi- 
eon  and  fall  down  dead.  But  when  they  saw  him  shake  the 
venomous  reptile  back  into  the  flames,  receiving  no  harm,  they 
changed  their  minds,  and  said  he  was  a  god,  and  would  have 
paid  him  divine  honors.    How  fickle  are  the  multitude! 

Publius,  the  chief  man  of  the  island,  received  him,  and 
lodged  him  three  days  courteously.  As  a  kind  return  for  his 
hospitality,  Paul  laid  his  hands  upon  his  sick  father,  and  re- 
stored him  from  a  dangerous  illness.  Others  came  and  were 
healed  of  their  diseases,  and  after  having  preached  to  them 
Christ  he  was  sent  away,  laden  with  many  honors,  and  with 
such  things  as  were  necessary  for  his  comfort  in  continuing  his 
journey  to  Rome. 

At  9  o'clock  we  left  the  harbor ;  the  island  like  a  little  blue 
cloud  in  the  distance  faded  away,  and  again  the  trackless  waste 
of  waters  stretched  like  a  boundless  expanse  around  us.  Sun- 
day at  half-past  10  o'clock  the  passengers  and  crew  assembled 


42  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

in  the  cabin,  and  the  Church  of  England  service  was  read,  and 
a  sermon  preached  by  a  clergyman  on  his  way  to  the  Indies. 
Sabbath  on  the  ocean  brings  but  little  change ;  the  rattling  ma- 
chinery thunders  on,  the  sails  swell  with  the  passing  breeze, 
and  the  boatswain's  sharp  Whistle  calls  the  men  to  their  accus- 
tomed work. 

Tuesday.  Have  been  now  three  days  between  Malta  and 
Alexandria.  We  should  have  been  in  harbor  to-day,  but  have 
been  retarded  by  head  winds.  To-night  we  had  one  of  those 
beautiful  sunsets  for  which  the  Mediterranean  is  so  renowned. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  majesty  and  splendor  with  which 
the  king  of  day  sunk  into  his  watery  bed,  transformed  by  the 
touch  of  his  own  kindling  rays  into  a  molten  sea  of  gold.  To- 
morrow I  shall  be  in  Alexandria,  stand  upon  the  soil  of  old 
Egypt,  walk  over  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  home  of  the  Ptole- 
mies.   "What  an  animating  thought ! 

Wednesday,  Feb.  13.  Expecting  to  enter  port  this  morning,  I 
was  early  on  deck.  We  were  already  in  sight  of  land.  On 
the  right  the  long,  low  line  of  the  African  coast  was  visible, 
scarcely  rising  above  the  level  of  the  sea ;  not  far  ahead  the 
outline  and  prominent  features  of  the  harbor  of  Alexandria 
lay  before  us.  My  heart  beat  high  with  expectation  as  the  eye 
caught  its  first  glimpses  of  the  land  of  Ham,  the  Mizraim  of 
the  Hebrews,  the  field  of  wonders,  in  which  so  many  of  the 
mighty  miracles  of  God  had  been  wrought.  What  a  luxury  it 
will  be  to  wander  over  those  old  "elds,  gaze  on  those  ancient 
monuments,  mark  the  traces  of  the  great  hand  of  God  in  the 
fulfillment  of  prophetic  declaration ! 

As  we  neared  the  shore,  one  of  the  first  things  that  caught 
my  attention,  was  the  large  number  of  wind-mills  standing  upon 
the  high  sand-bank  along  the  coast.  They  lifted  their  tall  cir- 
cular forms,  and  stretched  out  their  huge  sheeted  arms  like 
giant  spectres  keeping  sentinel  along  the  coast.  Water-power 
cannot  be  obtained,  and  fuel  is  too  scarce  and  expensive  to 
make  steam,  so  the  winds  are  pressed  into  service  to  turn  their 
machinery.  The  entrance  to  the  harbor  is  a  tortuous  and 
difficult  one  ;  vessels  cannot  come  in  at  all  by  night,nor  by  day 
without  an  experienced  pilot. 


4 


A    MORAL    LESSON.  45 

^  The  city,  that  at  first  looked  like  a  white  line  upon  the  low, 
flat .'coast,  began  Apparently  to  lift  itself  upward,  and  assume 
definite  form  and  shape.  The  houses  stood  out  more  distinct- 
ly ;  domes,  minarets  and  spires  stood  up  against  the  sky.  We 
were  straining  our  eyes  to  catch  the  first  glimpses  of  aught  that 
was  curious  or  wonderful.  There,  just  upon  that  projecting 
point  of  land  we  are  now  passing,  where  you  see  an  insignifi- 
cant light-house,  stood 

THE   ANCIENT  PHAROS. 

It  was  one  of  the  66  Seven  Wonders  of  the  World" — a  famous 
and  costly  tower,  bearing  upon  its  top.  as  it  lifted  its  colossal 
form  above  the  waves,  a  beacon  light  to  guide  the  mariner  to 
his  port.  It  is  said  to  have  been  so  lofty  it  could  be  seen  a 
hundred  miles  at  sea.  This  gigantic  tower  was  a  square  build- 
ing of  white  marble,  erected  by  order  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus, 
three  hundred  years  before  Christ. 

A  curious  story  is  told  of  the  builder's  inscription  placed 
upon  it:  "King  Ptolemy,  to  the  Savior  Gods,  for  the  use 
of  those  who  travel  by  sea."  Sostratus,  the  builder,  wishing 
to  secure  the  glory  to  himself,  chiseled  in  the  monumental 
stone,  "Sostratus  of  Cnidos,  the  son  of  Dexiphanes,  to  the  Savior 
Gods,  etc."  Over  this  he  placed  in  hard  stucco  the  inscription 
bearing  the  name  of  Ptolemy.  In  process  of  time,  the  stucco 
fell  off,  and  future  ages  read  .the  name  of  Sostratus.  How 
fickle  a  thing  is  fame,  and  in  how  many  ways  men  are  cheated 
of  their  worldly  honor  and  glory. 

To  me,  there  was  an  instructive  moral  lesson  in  this,  as  my 
thoughts,  in  comparison,  glanced  to  Him,  the  true  Light,  light- 
ing every  man  that  comes  into  the  world.  How  many  a  moral 
builder  would  secure  a  temporary  fame  by  putting  himself 
foremost — engraving  his  own  name  upon  the  rock,  and  hiding 
the  honor  of  Him  who  alone  can  rear  the  enduring  fabric ! 
But  such  builders  will  perish,  and  their  proudest  and  most 
enduring  monuments,  like  this  mighty  Pharos,  will  become  a 
mass  of  buried  ruins,  while  the  work  of  the  Great  Master 
Builder  will  forever  stand,  having  a  name  above  every  name — 
the  glorious  moral  light-house  of  the  universe. 


46  EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


.  But  here  we  are  safe  at  our  moorings.  How  strange  every 
thing  looks.  There  are  the  hulks  of  a  number  of  great  old 
ships  rotting  away  and  falling,  stick  after  stick,  into  the  water. 
They  were  once  the  Viceroy's  fleet.  The  flags  of  many  nations 
float  from  the  masts  around  us.  There  is  a  boat  approaching, 
manned  by  a  number  of  marines  in  blue  jackets.  What  pen- 
nant is  that  flying  at  her  bow  ?  The  stars  and  stripes  !  Hail ! 
flag  of  my  country !  The  boat,  is  from  the  United  States  war 
ship  Susquehanna,  now  lying  in  harbor.  They  have  sent  a 
lieutenant  to  our  steamer  for  English  papers  and  American 
news. 

Our  paddle-wheels  were  scarcely  quiet  before  we  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  shoal  of  small  boats,  manned  by  a  strange  look- 
ing set  of  men,  of  all  variety  of  shades,  swarthy,  brown  and 
black,  with  turbanned  heads  and  long  loose  robes,  chattering 
away  in  a  strange  jargon  of  sounds,  as  unintelligible  as  the 
hieroglyphics  of  the  ancient  monuments.  Parleying  was  of  no 
use — to  make  a  bargain  was  out  of  the  question,  for  I  had  no 
interpreter.  I  passed  down  my  traveling  bags,  followed  after 
them,  and  was  transferred  to  the  shore,  and  landed  in  a  little 
enclosed  area  that  opened  into  the  custom-house.  I  handed  the 
boatman  a  quarter  of  a  dollar;  he  clamored  loudly  and  gestic- 
ulated furiously,  and  declared  in  broken  English  he  was  not 
half  paid.  I  passed  on  "without  giving  him  any  reply,  for  I 
knew  he  was  well  paid,  and  that  he  would  have  been  just  as 
importunate  for  more  if  I  had  given  him  four  times  the  amount. 
These  boatmen  are  an  insolent  and  rapacious  set  of  fellows, 
and  you  have  to  hold  them  in  check  with  a  bold  look  and  a 
firm  hand.    The  next  thing  was  to  go  through 

THE  CUSTOM-HOUSE 

At  Marseilles,  I  was  required  ,to  give  up  my  passport  to  the 
officers  of  the  steamer,  and  was  told  that  I  would  find  it  at  the 
office  of  the  American  consul  in  Alexandria.  With  a  traveling 
bag  in  each  hand,  I  came  to  the  door  of  the  custom-house.  A 
liveried  servant  in  Turkish  costume  guarding  the  door,  politely 
bowed  me  through,  and  I  stood  before  the  receiver  of  customs. 
He  wore  a  rich  Turkish  costume,  a  great  turban  on  his  head,  a 


GETTING    TO    A  HOTEL. 


47 


gold-hilted  sword  dangling  at  his  side,  and  he  was  evidently 
conscious  of  the  dignity  of  his  official  position.  He  addressed 
me  in  English :  "  Your  name,  sir  ?  "  "  Randall,  sir."  He  glanced 
at  a  list  of  names  in  an  open  book  before  him:  "All  right,  sir; 
you  can  pass."  I  saw  several  passports  lying  upon  his  desk, 
and  understood  at  a  glance  how  it  was.  They  had  been  sent 
in  from  the  steamer,  and  he  was  already  posted  as  to  the  num- 
ber and  names  of  the  passengers.  No  other  questions  were 
asked,  no  examination  of  my  baggage  was  made.  Personal 
baggage,  I  afterwards  learned,  is  seldom  examined  at  this  port. 
I  moved  on,  and  as  I  was  bowed  in  by  a  liveried  door-keeper 
on  the  sea  side,  I  was  bowed  out  by  another  on  the  land  side, 
and  suddenly  found  myself  in  one  of  the  streets  of  Alexan- 
dria.   And  now  came 

ANOTHER  STRUGGLE. 

I  had  scarcely  passed  the  door,  before  I  was  surrounded  by  a 
regiment  of  donkey  boys,  in  dirty  blue  shirts  and  red  tarbooshes. 
They  began  pulHng  and  snatching  at  my  baggage,  and  clam- 
oring for  the  privilege  of  taking  me  to  a  hotel.  Luckily,  an 
omnibus — a  modern  European  innovation — from  the  very  hotel 
I  had  selected,  stood  at  the  roadside,  with  open  door,  and  I 
made  a  sudden  and  fortunate  retreat  into  it.  My  disappointed 
pursuers,  seeing  me  beyond  their  reach,  gave  up  the  chase,  and 
returned  to  spend  their  importunities  on  some  less  fortunate 
victim. 

A  crack  of  the  driver's  whip,  and  we  were  whirling  through 
the  dirty,  narrow  streets  of  the  Turkish  quarter  of  the  city. 
As  I  looked  around  I  said  to  myself,  "How  can  I  stop  in  such 
a  miserable,  filthy,  suffocating  place  as  this?"  But  soon  we 
emerged  into  the  English  part  of  the  town,  and  a  magical 
change  came  over  the  scene.  A  fine  open  square,  ornamented1 
with  fountains,  and  walled  in  with  great  stone-front  houses,  p  re- 
sented a  more  inviting  and  home-like  appearance. 

THE   EUROPEAN  HOTEL, 

At  which  I  stopped,  was  kept  by  Cyprian  Meurat,  a  French- 
man. The  business  of  the  hotel  was  mostly  conducted  in  French, 


IS 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


though  one  or  two  of  the  clerks  could  talk  English.  The 
house,  like  most  others  of  the  place,  was  substantially  built  of  1 
stone  and  brick,  but  little  wood  being  used.  The  stairways  are 
all  of  stone,  rough  in  appearance,  while  the  floors  are  laid  in  a 
coarse  lime  cement,  which  gives  them  a  very  cheerless  appear- 
ance. The  floors  and  walls  are  constantly  crumbling,  scatter- 
ing, like  a  great  pepper-box,  their  sand  and  lime  upon  clothes 
and  furniture,  and  affording  plenty  of  hiding  places  for  bugs 
and  fleas.  Of  the  presence  of  the  latter  I  immediately  had 
positive  demonstration.  But  fleas  in  Egypt  are  as  common  as 
sunshine  in  the  tropics,  and  the  traveler  may  as  well  make  up 
his  mind,  from  the  start,  to  pay  the  tribute  of  blood  demanded, 
without  protest,  and  with  the  resignation  of  a  martyr.  Still  the 
house  was  quite  a  comfortable  place,  more  so  really  than  I  had 
expected  to  find.  I  followed  the  porter — he  deposited  my  bag- 
gage in  No.  45,  and  vanished.  I  shut  the  door  of  my  room, 
threw  myself  into  a  chair,  and  was  soon- absorbed  in 

A   TRAIN   OF  REFLECTIONS. 

And  here  I  am  in  Egypt !  How  often  in  my  far  off  home  I 
have  pronounced  that  name !  What  strange  things  have  trans- 
pired around  me !  Here  was  the  early  home  of  civilization — 
the  birth-place  of  literature — the  cradle  of  science  and  arts — the 
garden  and  garner  of  the  world !  Here  I  am  in  Egypt — the 
land  of  the  Pharaohs,  of  pyramids,  of  catacombs,  of  mummies 
and  obelisks — of  Israel's  bondage  and  Moses'  mighty  miracles. 
The  land  where  Heroditus,  Strabo  and  Tacitus  came  to  study 
history — where  Plato,  Lycurgus  and  Pythagoras  went  to  school. 
A  land  of  the  wonderful  creations  of  human  power  and  genius, 
that  has  long  been,  and  long  will  continue  to  be,  a  place  of  in- 
terest and  curiosity  to  the  learned;  aland  to  which  travelers 
resort  from  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world ! 

We  are  now  to  visit  some  of  its  renowned  localities.  Before 
we  begin,  let  us  recall  a  few  of  the  leading  incidents  in  its  his- 
tory. . 

THE   EVENTS   OP  ANTIQUITY. 

Egypt  is  itself  a  book  of  history.  It  is  one  of  God's  great 
monumental  records,  on  the  face  of  which  he  has  written  with 


EGYPTIAN  HISTORY. 


49 


his  own  hand  many  of  the  strange  events  of  the  past.  It  is 
astonishing  how  Ije  has  left  his  imprint  upon  her  enduring 
monuments.  We  shall  see,  as  we  proceed,  how  remarkably  he 
has  perpetuated  the  record  of  creation,  and  the  early  history  of 
the  world — how  strange  have  been  the  instrumentalities  em- 
ployed. We  shall  see  it  in  the  lengthened  lives  of  the  patri- 
archs, in  the  dispersion  of  the  race,  the  journeyings  of  Abra- 
ham, and  the  cotemporaneous  monuments,  that  the  ravages  of 
war  and  the  wreck  of  time  have  failed  to  obliterate.  Over  all 
we  shall  see  a  superintending  Providence,  beneath  all  his  guid- 
ing hand,  around  all  his  protecting  presence  and  almighty  power. 

Egypt  is  supposed  to  have  derived  its  name  from  Ham,  the 
son  of  Noah,  and  hence,  in  the  Bible,  it  is  frequently  called  the 
land  of  Hani.  The  Hebrews  invariably  called  it  Mizraim, 
from  one  of  the  sons  of  Ham.  The  Arabs,  to  this  day,  call  it 
Mizr,  a  contraction  of  Mizraim.  The  Copts  call  it  Khemi,  the 
Turks  El  Kabit.  The  etymology  of  the  common  name,  Egypt, 
is  involved  in  much  mystery,  and  for  the  application  of  the 
name  to  this  country,  various  reasons  have  been  assigned.  Seyf- 
farth  derives  the  name  Copts,  now  applied  to  the  existing  rem- 
nant of  the  ancient  race  that  once  possessed  the  land,  from 
the  word  Egypt — Gyptus,  G-ypts,  finally  perverted  into  Copts. 
With  this  allusion  to  the  name,  we  pass  to  a  brief  notice  of 

ITS  HISTORY. 

The  early  history  of  this  land  was  long  lost  in  the  mists  and 
obscurities  of  ancient  fable  and  tradition.  Mistaking  the  chro- 
nological inscriptions  of  its  monuments,  some  had  been  led  to 
assign  to  it  a  remoteness  of  antiquity  completely  astounding 
to  believers  in  the  Mosaic  record.  But  these  absurd  notions 
of  its  great  antiquity  have  been  corrected.  Recent  researches 
among  its  tombs  and  ruins,  the  discovery  of  the  key  to  its 
hieroglyphics,  are  all  lending  their  aid  to  lift  the  vail  that  so 
long  concealed  what  multitudes  had  so  earnestly  desired  to 
know.  The  strange  characters  upon  the  obelisks,  the  inscrip- 
tions upon  their  sarcophagi,  the  papyrus  rolls  of  their  charnel 
houses,  the  hidden  chambers  of  their  gigantic  pyramids,  have 
all  been  made  to  speak.    The  stern  reality  of  truth  is  rapidly 


50 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


dissipating  the  absurd  fables  with  which  these  ancient  records 
had  been  invested. 

THE   FIRST   GREAT   HISTORICAL  PERIOD 

Reached  from  the  creation  to  the  flood — from  the  beautiful 
garden,  and  flaming  sword  and  cherubim  of  Eden,  to  the  dark 
and  dismal  waste  of  waters  that  entombed  a  world.  The  bright 
bow  of  promise  spanned  the  heavens  with  its  radiance,  when 
!N"oah  came  forth  from  the  Ark  and  walked  the  renovated 
earth.  It  was  the  morning  of  a  new  day. 

The  confusion  of  tongues  interrupted  the  impious  work  upon 
the  heaven-defying  tower  of  Babel.  The  new  race  of  men 
commenced  their  wanderings  over  the  face  of  the  earth.  The 
sons  of  Shem  chose  the  fertile  valleys  of  the  east.  Japheth 
and  his  descendants  spread  themselves  over  the  continent  and 
islands  of  Europe.  Ham  wandered  toward  Egypt,  and  his  son 
Cush,  with  his  children,  went  southward  and  westward  into 
different  districts.  One  of  these  was  the  land  of  Ethiopia,  be- 
yond Egypt.  Mizraim  peopled  the  land  of  the  Nile,  and  was 
the  father  of  the  Egyptians.  The  -Nile  and  the  Euphrates,  with 
their  broad  fertile  valleys,  early  became  the  theatre  of  import- 
ant events.  Egypt  and  Shinar  were  the  'starting  points  of  two 
great  streams  of  history  that  have  flowed  on  cotemporaneously 
for  thousands  of  years.  But  who  have  reigned  here,  and  who 
have  been,  during  a  long  succession  of  years, 

THE   MASTERS   OF   THE  LAND. 

It  has  had  many  masters.  This  narrow  strip  of  green  earth 
has  been  fattened  by  the  blood  of  many  a  hard  fought  battle. 
According  to  the  best  established  chronology,  the  dispersion  of 
the  nations  from  Babel,  and  the  origin  of  dialects,  took  place 
about  2800  before  Christ.  Immediately  after  this,  Menes,  the 
same  as  Mizraim,  left  Babel  and  went  into  Egypt.  After  the 
death  of  Menes,  the  country  was  divided  into  several  rival 
states,  whose  jealous  and  war-like  rulers,  long  before  Abraham 
left  Ur  of  Chaidea,  were  contending  for  the  mastery.  Busiris 
laid  the  foundation  of  mighty  Thebes;  Osymandes  built  many 
magnificent  cities ;  and  Uchoreus,  his  successor,  built  Memphis, 


EGYPTIAN    HISTORY.  51 

whicTi  afterwards  became  a  great  city,  more  than  seven  leagues 
in  circumference,  and  the  capital  of  the  Egyptian  Kings.  Then 
came  Mceris,  the  artificer  of  the  renowned  lake,  in  which  was 
treasured  the  waters  of  the  Nile — one  of  the  most  wonderful 
pieces  of  workmanship  in  all  the  land,  outvieing,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  some,  the  labyrinth  and  the  pyramids.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  Shepherd  Kings,  who  conquered  and  reigned  in 
Lower  Egypt.  Under  their  reign,  it  is  supposed,  the  land  was 
honored  by  a  visit  from  Abraham,  the  great  ancestor  of  the 
Hebrew  nation. 

The  Thothmes  and  Eameses  succeeded,  under  whom  Joseph 
was  brought  here  by  the  Ishmaelites  and  sold  as  a  piece  of  mer- 
chandise. These  were  the  Pharaohs  that  enslaved  the  Israel- 
ites. Under  them  Moses  was  born,  and  reared  and  educated  in 
their  court  at  Memphis,  and  the  mighty  miracles  of  the  deliv- 
erance were  wrought. 

After  this  arose  Sesostris,  a  mighty  man  of  war,  whose  am- 
bition aimed  at  the  conquest  of  the  world.  He  enriched  him- 
self with  the  spoils  of  vanquished  nations,  was  the  founder  of 
a  hundred  temples,  the  builder  of  embankments  and  canals. 
He  improved,  fortified,  adorned  and  enriched  his  country.  But 
the  splendor  of  his  success  dazzled  and  blinded  him.  In  his 
wild  excesses,  the  weakness,  folly  and  depravity  of  human  na- 
ture triumphed.  He  harnessed  kings  and  piinces  of  conquered 
nations  to  his  car,  glorying  in  his  grandeur  and  their  humilia- 
tion. After  having  reigned  thirty-three  years,  blindness  came 
upon  him,  and  he  died  as  the  fool  dieth — by  hn  own  hand! 

THE   ETHIOPIAN  CONQUEST 

Followed,  and  they  held  dominion  over  the  lan  1.  Then  Cam- 
byses  marched  over  it  with  the  thundering  tramp  of  war.  He 
murdered  their  king,  and  plundered  Memphis,  the  chief  city. 
He  slew  their  holy  bull,  Apis,  with  his  own  sword,  and  scourged 
their  priests  with  rods.  Following  this  was  the  conquest 
of  Alexander  the  Great,  the  founder  of  the  city  in  which  wTe 
have  now  landed.  He  adorned  it  with  the  trophies  of  his  bril- 
liant conquests,  and  here,  no  doubt,  expected  to  opend  the 

evening  of  his  life  in  pleasure  and  luxury,  but  his  dissipations 
4 


52 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


ended  his  career  in  the  meridian  of  his  days.  Here  his  body 
was  interred,  and  he  became  the  recipient  of  divine  honors. 
Alexander  was  succeeded  by  the  prosperous 

REIGN   OF   THE  PTOLEMIES. 

During  their  administration  the  land  recovered  something 
of  its  former  prosperity  and  splendor.  For  nearly  three 
hundred  years  it  was  noted  as  the  seat  of  wealth,  learning  and 
power.  Such  was  its  strength,  it  survived  the  ruins  of  the  As- 
syrian, Babylonian,  Persian  and  Macedonian  empires.  The 
reign  of  the  Ptolemies  ended  with 

CLEOPATRA. 

She  poisoned  her  brother,  aged  fourteen,  to  secure  an  undis- 
puted possession  of  the  throne.  She  reigned  twenty-two  years. 
At  the  age  of  thirty-nine,  overcome  by  Octavius  Caesar,  and  deter- 
mined she  would  not  submit  to  the  humiliation  of  gracing  his 
triumphal  procession,  she  resolved  to  escape  by  a  voluntary 
death.  A  splendid  banquet  was  prepared  by  her  own  order. 
The  executioner  she  had  chosen  was  brought  in  by  a  faithful 
servant,  concealed  in  a  basket  of  flowers.  At  the  appointed 
time,  she  desired  her  attendants  to  leave  her — took  the  poison- 
ous asp  from  its  hiding  place,  and  provoked  it  to  inflict  the 
deadly  wound.    She  immediately  expired,  and  Egypt  became 

A   ROMAN  PROVINCE. 

The  Bomans  held  possession  of  it  from  thirty  years  before 
Christ,  till  six  hundred  and  forty  years  after.  During  this  time, 
the  religion  of  Christ  was  preached  among  the  inhabitants. 
The  ancient  systems  of  idolatry  gave  place  to  a  purer  form  of 
faith.  Alexandria  became  one  of  the  principal  seats  of  litera- 
ture and  theology.  Many  eminent  Christian  scholars  found  a 
home  here.    Six  hundred  and  forty  years  after  Christ  came  . 

THE   INVADING  SARACEN. 

Amrou,  under  the  Caliph  Omar,  took  Alexandria  by  assault, 
and  Egypt  was  subjected  to  their  rule.  During  this  period,  it 
was  under  the  rule  of  several  celebrated  men.  Among  them  was 


SLAVES    BECOME  MASTERS. 


53 


the  heroic  Saladin.  They  were  a  brave,  daring,  reckless  race, 
having  neither  taste  for  adornments  or  veneration  for  the  mag- 
nificent structures  of  antiquity.  With  ruthless  hands  they 
burned  and  plundered,  and  decay  and  desolation  marked  their 
course.  But  the  dynasty  of  the  Caliphs  was  also  to  have  an 
end.    They  were  overthrown  and  succeeded  by 

THE  MAMALUKES. 

These  were  so  called  from  the  Arabic  name  for  slave.  They 
were  of  Caucasian  origin — prisoners  of  war  carried  into  slave- 
ry. Many  thousands  of  these  captives  were  taken  into  Egypt. 
After  a  time,  a  large  company  of  them  were  formed  into  a 
corps,  and  instructed  in  military  arts.  But  they  were  not  the 
race  of  men  to  bear  quietly  the  yoke  of  servitude.  The  Egyp- 
tians, desirous  of  making  gain  of  human  servitude,  were  uncon- 
sciously nursing  a  powerful  enemy  at  their  own  firesides. 
These  slaves  soon  manifested  a  spirit  of  insubordination  and 
rebellion.  In  1254  they  mutinied  against  the  government,  as- 
sassinated the  Sultan,  Turan  Shah,  and  made  one  of  their  own 
number  Sultan  of  Egypt.  Their  dynasty  had  no  birth-right 
succession,  but  they  usually  appointed  the  bravest  of  their 
own  number  leader;  and  thus,  by  their  craftiness  and  superiori- 
ty, held  control  of  the  government  two  hundred  and  sixty-three 
years.    Their  rule  was  brought  to  an  end  by  Selim  First. 

He  took  Cairo  by  storm  in  1517.  Selim  appointed  a  Turk- 
ish Pasha  over  Egypt,  but  the  twenty-four  Mamaluke  Beys, 
who  governed  the  different  provinces,  still  retained  a  large  por- 
tion of  their  power.  This  singular  class  of  persons  continued 
to  maintain  their  number  by  fresh  importations  of  slaves  from 
the  regions  lying  between  the  Black  and  Caspian  seas.  Such 
was  the  political  state  of  Egypt  for  about  two  hundred  years, 
when  it  was  found  the  Mamalukes  had  gained  such  ascendency 
that  the  Pasha  appointed  by  the  Porte  was  obliged  to  conform 
entirely  to  their  wishes.    At  this  period  came 

THE   CAMPAIGN    OP  NAPOLEON. 

This  wily  commander,  aware  of  the  importance  of  the  East 
India  trade  to  England,  conceived  the  design  of  planting  him- 


54 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


self  between  them  and  their  rich  eastern  possessions.  In  1797, 
he  landed  with  an  army  of  thirty  thousand  men,  and  with  sur- 
prising celerity  commenced  his  operations.  At  the  head  of  his 
army  he  marched  upon  Alexandria,  which  was  taken  July  5th, 
and  immediately  fortified.  At  the  same  time  Rosetta  was 
taken  by  General  Marmont,  and  July  6th,  Bonaparte's  whole 
fleet  was  moored  in  the  roads  before  Aboukir.  Thirty  thousand 
men  immediately  marched  in  five  divisions  towards  Cairo,  the 
capital.  Near  the  pyramids  of  Gizeh,  Murad  Bey  intrenched 
himself  with  twenty  thousand  Mamaluke  infantry,  several 
thousand  Mamaluke  cavalry,  and  forty  pieces  of  cannon.  But 
the  Mamalukes  could  not  stand  before  the  superior  discipline 
of  the  French  soldiery,  and  they  fled  in  wild  confusion  to  the 
contiguous  deserts.  Three  thousand  of  the  enemy  were  left 
dead  upon  the  field.  All  their  cannon  and  four  hundred 
camels  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French. 

The  victorious  Bonaparte  immediately  marched  upon  Cairo. 
Ibrahim  Bey,  who  was  to  have  defended  it,  was  driven  over 
the  deserts  to  Upper  Egypt,  and  Napoleon  was  master  of  the 
land.  But  English  jealousy  and  interest  would  not  allow  him 
to  hold  undisputed  possession.  A  severe  struggle  followed, 
and  he  in  turn  was  displaced. 

Among  the  subordinates,  schooled  in  these  protracted  con- 
flicts, was  a  young  Turkish  officer.  He  commenced  his  career 
as  a  poor  orphan,  unlearned  and  unknown,  but  his  humble 
origin  was  no  bar  to  his  success.  Nature  had  stamped  him 
with  the  impress  of  a  leader,  and  he  was  destined  to  act  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  subsequent  history  of  this  blood-stained 
land.    This  was 

MOHAMMED  ALL 

He  was  a  bold,  sagacious,  ambitious  man.  Possessing  these 
traits  of  character,  he  raised  himself  from  an  humble  station 
to  that  of  a  sovereign,  who  successfully  met  and  repelled  En- 
glish invasion,  and  dared  even  to  defy  his  master  the  Sublime 
Porte.  In  1806,  he  was  promoted  to  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt, 
which  he  governed  upon  European  principles.  He  expelled  all 
enemies  from  his  country,  and  subjected  neighboring  provinces 


MOHAMMED  ALL 


55 


to  his  rule.  He  established  armies  and  fleets,  "built  fortifica- 
tions, carried  on  an  extensive  series  of  internal  improvements, 
established  telegraphs,  re-opened  the  canal  between  Cairo  and 
Alexandria.  He  interested  himself  in  the  improvement  of  ag- 
riculture, established  commerce,  and  promoted  manufactures. 
He  formed  favorable  alliances  with  other  nations,  protected 
strangers  and  foreigners,  tolerated  other  religions,  encouraged 
learned  travelers,  and  rewarded  merit  in  the  arts  and  sciences. 
The  most  powerful  nations  of  Europe  sought  his  friendship — 
the  Sultan  became  jealous,  and  even  alarmed  at  his  increasing 
power.  Under  his  rule,  Egypt  enjoyed  rest  and  prosperity. 
But  although  he  did  so  much  for  the  improvement  of  the  land, 
he  ruled  with  a  rod  of  iron.  As  a  private  man,  it  is  said,  he 
was  kind,  generous  and  humane ;  in  his  public  capacity,  he 
never  seemed  to  spare  his  people.  He  extorted  from  them 
money,  and  imposed  upon  them  many  heavy  burdens.  He 
died  in  1849,  and  his  fourth  son,  Said  Pasha,  is  now  Viceroy, 
who  continues  the  liberal  plans  and  improvements  of  his  father. 
Such  is  a  brief  synopsis  of  the  history  of  this  land,  in  the  midst 
of  which  we  are  now  to  enjoy  a  temporary  sojourn. 


56 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Preservation  of  Knowledge — Donkeys  and  Donkey  Boys — 
Sights  in  Alexandria. 

Here  we  stand  upon  one  of  the  world's  great  battle-fields ! 
Here  Pagan,  Mohammedan  and  Christian  nations  have  contend- 
ed for  the  mastery.  These  wars  have  been,  first,  the  executioners 
to  destroy,  the  sextons  to  bury,  and  then,  in  God's  appointed 
time,  the  resurrection  power  to  bring  to  light,  at  the  time  their 
testimony  was  most  needed,  the  buried  records.  Had  we  time 
to  look  through  this  eventful  and  bloody  history,  to  trace 
causes  and  mark  results,  we  should  see  the  footsteps  of  Deity, 
and  read  His  handwriting  in  many  of  these  events. 

an  antediluvian  historian. 

The  old  patriarch,  Methusalah,  was  one  of  the  world's  great 
historians.  Why  did  the  Lord  protract  his  life  nearly  one  thous- 
and years?  When  Adam  was  six  hundred  and  eighty- seven 
years  old,  Methusalah  was  born.  With  Adam'  he  lived  and 
conversed  two  hundred  and  forty-three  years.  He  was  one  of 
Adam's  pupils,  and  from  him  he  learned  and  treasured  in  the 
store-house  of  memory  the  wonderful  history  of  the  creation, 
the  entrance  of  sin,  the  expulsion  from  Paradise,  the  defection 
of  Cain,  and  all  the  other  interesting  events  in  the  first  chap- 
ters of  the  world's  history! 

Methusalah  lived  to  the  very  year  of  the  flood.  One  hun- 
dred years  before  the  flood  Shem  was  born.  For  a  whole  cen- 
tury he  had  Methusalah  for  his  teacher,  with  full  leisure  to 
learn  all  the  history  of  the  past.  Shem  survived  the  flood  five 
hundred  years,  and  lived  about  thirty-five  years  with  Abraham, 
and  Abraham  was  cotemporary  with  the  early  monuments  of 
Egypt,  that  are  now  unfolding  their  historic  treasures. 


PRESERVATION    OF  HISTORY. 


57 


Of  so  much  importance  do  we  consider  this,  we  have  prepared 
the  following  diagram,  showing  how  the  lives  of  four  persons 
have  been  linked  together,  and  made  to  extend  over  near  two 
thousand  two  hundred  years  of  the  world's  history,  reaching  from 
the  creation  across  the  flood,  down  through  the  life  of  Abraham 
to  the  time  when  God  made  selection  of  his  chosen  people,  and 
made  them  the  depositories  of  the  early  history  of  the  world, 
by  whom  the  record  was  most  sacredly  preserved : 


Creation. 


Flood. 


A.  M.  1656. 


A  A 
Monuments  of  Egypt. 


Abraham,  175  years. 


Keep  these  historic  links  in  mind — Adam,  Methusalah,  Shem, 
Abraham.  Thus  Methusalah  stood,  before  the  flood,  God's 
Great  Historic  Ledger,  reaching  one  hand  back  to  Adam,  re- 
ceiving the  record  from  him,  and  with  the  other  reaching  for- 
ward, and  handing  it  down  to  Shem.  Then  Shem,  living  upon 
both  sides  of  the  flood,  reaches  back  and  takes  the  record  from 
old  Methusalah  and  hands  it  down  to  faithful  Abraham,  who 
teaches  it  to  his  children,  visited  the  Egyptians,  and  was  co- 
temporary  with  their  inscribed  monuments  and  written  records, 
from  which  we  are  now  learning  chronology  and  history.  As 


58 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


we  move  among  the  ruins  of  this  ancient  land,  how  time  seems 
annihilated,  and  how  closely  we  seem  to  be  linked  to  the  vener- 
able forms  of  the  earliest  ages  of  the  world !  How  near  we 
get  to  the  fountain-head  of  history!  We  here  stand  by  the 
side  of  monuments  under  whose  shadow  Abraham  rested. 
Abraham !  who  spent  his  boyhood  with  Shem,  who  saw  the 
world  before  the  flood,  and  lived  a  hundred  years  with  Methu- 
salah,  whom  Adam  dandled  upon  his  knee,  and  who  had  seen 
the  unsullied  beauties  of  a  sinless  world ! 

Again,  for  another  illustration  of  God's  overruling  Provi- 
dence, look  at  Bonaparte's  campaign  in  this  Jand.  Think  of 
his  long-continued  and  bloody  struggles,  the  millions  of  treas- 
ure squandered,  the  thousands  of  lives  lost !  What  doest  thou 
here,  0  Corsican !  and  who  hath  sent  thee  ?  A  company  of 
these  French  soldiers,  in  throwing  up  an  intrenchment  at  Ro- 
setta,  lifted  from  its  burial  place  in  the  earth  a  singular  looking 
stone.  It  was  black  Syenite  basalt,  covered  with  strange  look- 
ing inscriptions.    This  was  the  famous 

EOSETTA  STONE. 

The  stone  found  its  way  to  the  British  museum,  where  it  still 
can  be' seen.  It  attracted  the  attention  of  scholars,  and  many 
an  hour  did  they  gaze  upon  its  strange,  mysterious  face.  The 
upper  lines  of  the  inscription  were  hieroglyphics.  The  second 
was  a  strange  character  of  an  unknown  kind,  the  third  and 
lower  one  was  Greek. 

The  Greek  was  soon  deciphered,  and  was  found  to  contain  a 
recognition  of  the  highest  honors  of  the  Pharaohs,  in  the  per- 
son of  Ptolemy  Epiphanes,  by  the  Egyptian  priesthood.  This 
stone,  wmich  dated  back  nearly  two  hundred  years  before  Christ, 
furnished  a  key  to  the  mysterious  hieroglyphics,  that  had  so  long 
puzzled  the  scholars  of  the  world.  And  what  results  have  fol- 
lowed! A  long  sealed  book  of  history  has  been  opened — mute 
monuments,  that  have  braved  the  storms  for  thousands  of  years,- 
have  been  made  to  speak — chronology  has  been  incontestably 
settled,  the  truth  of  scripture  records  confirmed !  If  that  cam- 
paign had  done  nothing  more  than  this,  God  in  his  inscrutable 
wisdom  has  wrought  out  by  it  a  result  in  which  all  future 


FULFILLMENT    OF  PEOPHECT. 


59 


generations  will  rejoice.  This  land,  too,  has  borne  a  conspicu- 
ous part  in 

PROPHETIC  DECLARATION. 

Most  remarkably  have  these  prophecies  been  fulfilled.  Some 
of  the  judgments  denounced  fell  upon  the  people  in  ancient 
times ;  the  fulfillment  of  others  are  clearly  seen  in  the  present 
condition  of  the  country.  Hundreds  of  years  before  the  ap- 
pearance of  Christ,  the  pen  of  inspiration  had  written  her  his- 
tory, and  the  unerring  prescience  of  God  pronounced  her  doom. 
"  They  shall  be  a  base  kingdom.  It  shall  be  the  basest  of  king- 
doms. Neither  shall  it  exalt  itself  any  more  among  the  na- 
tions ;  for  I  will  diminish  them,  that  they  shall  no  more  rule 
over  the  nations.  And  there  shall  be  no  more  a  prince  of  the 
laud  of  Egypt."  Ez.  xxx.  5,  7, 12, 13.  "Behold,  I  am  against 
thee,  and  against  thy  rivers,  and  I  will  make  the  land  of  Egypt 
utterly  waste  aud  desolate,  from  the  tower  of  Syene  even  unto 
the  border  of  Ethiopia.  *  *  *  And  I  will  make  the  land 
of  Egypt  desolate  in  the  midst  of  the  countries  that  are  deso- 
late, and  her  cities  among  the  cities  that  are  laid  waste."  Ez. 
xxix.  10,  13. 

And  now  we  are  to  walk  over  the  soil  of  this  wonderful  land, 
wander  among  its  monuments,  and  meditate  upon  its  ruins. 
And  what  shall  we  see?  Every  where  the  marks  of  ruin  and 
desolation — from  Syene  to  the  borders  of  Ethiopia,  and  along 
the  whole  course  of  the  JST^e,  we  shall  find  the  fulfillment  of 
prophetic  record — that  God  has  been  against  her,  and  against 
her  rivers;  that  he  has  made  her  a  base  kingdom,  and  her  land 
desolate.  Let  us  walk  abroad  and  commence  our  view  of  the 
land. 

THE   CITY   OP  ALEXANDRIA 

Was  once  an  appropriate  monument  of  the  genius  and  enter- 
prise of  the  great  Macedonian  conqueror.  The  desolating 
storms  of  human  passion  have  swept  over  it,  and  sadly  has 
it  felt  their  influence.  It  is  said  there  was  an  Egyptian  city 
here  called  Rhacotis,  long  before  the  son  of  Philip  extended 
his  conquests  into  the  land.    On  the  ruins  of  this,  three  hun- 


60 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


dred  and  thirty-two  years  before  Christ,  Alexandria  wa-s 
founded.  The  site  was  wisely  selected,  and  Alexander  designed 
it  to  be  the  capital  of  his  empire,  setting  the  boundaries  of  the 
walls  with  his  own  hand. 

This  city  is  still  a  place  of  great  interest  to  the  scholar,  the 
historian  and  the  antiquarian.  "Within  it  and  around  it  has 
transpired  many  renowned  events.  Here  was  the  home  of  the 
Ptolemies — the  seat  of  learning.  Here  came  scholars  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  and  the  Alexandrian  age  occupies  a  promi- 
nent place  upon  historic  pages.    Here  was  the  great 

WORLD-RENOWNED  LIBRARY. 

It  was  established  by  Ptolemy  Soter,  and  is  said  to  have  con- 
tained seven  hundred  thousand  volumes — four  hundred  thous- 
and in  the  library  of  the  Museum,  and  three  hundred  thousand 
attached  to  the  temple  of  Serapis.  A  copy  of  every  known 
work  was  reputed  to  be  deposited  there.  In  the  storming  of 
the  city  by  Julius  Csesar,  the  shipping  in  the  harbor  was  set  on 
fire — it  reached  the  houses  of  the  city,  and  spread  to  the  Mu- 
seum. The  building  was  saved,  but  the  great  library,  which 
had  been  accumulating  for  ages,  and  on  which  so  much  labor 
and  wealth  had  been  lavished,  was  lost  forever. 

The  Romans  considered  this  city  next  in  beauty  and  import- 
ance to  their  own  capital.  When  taken  by  the  Arabs,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  640,  the  Lieutenant  Amer;  in  making  his  re- 
port to  the  Caliph,  says:  "I  have  *aken  the  great  city  of  the 
"West.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  enumerate  the  variety  of  its 
richness  and  beauty.  I  shall  content  myself  with  observing 
that  it  contains  four  thousand  palaces,  four  thousand  baths, 
four  hundred  theatres  or  places  of  amusement,  twelve  thousand 
shops  for  the  sale  of  vegetables,  and  forty  thousand  tributary 
Jews."    In  this  city  stood 

THE   GREAT   TEMPLE   OP  SERAPIS. 

Serapis  was  one  of  the  Egyptian  deities,  supposed  to  be  the 
same  as  Osiris,  said  also  to  be  the  same  as  Apis.  A  splendid 
temple  had  been  built  for  him  at  Memphis,  and  another  costly 
and  magnificent  one  existed  here.    This  temple  stood  long 


ANCIENT  RUINS. 


61 


after  Christianity  became  the  prevailing  religion  of  Egypt.  It 
was  the  last  stronghold  and  refuge  of  Paganism.  The.  ancient 
religion  of  Egypt  gradually  crumbled  before  the  aggressive 
power  of  a  new  faith,  and  about  A.  D.  389  the  votaries  of  the 
cross  triumphed. 

The  temple  of  Serapis,  Gibbon  informs  us,  rivaled  the  pride 
and  magnificence  of  the  capital.  It  stood  upon  the  summit  of 
an  artificial  mount,  raised  one  hundred  steps  above  the  level  of 
the  surrounding  parts  of  the  city.  The  interior  was  firmly 
supported  by  arches,  and  distributed  into  vaults  and  subterra- 
nean apartments.  The  consecrated  buildings  were  surrounded 
by  a  quadrangular  portico.  The  stately  halls  and  the  exquisite 
statues  displayed  the  triumph  of  the  arts.  In  the  decline  of 
Paganism  and  the  triumph  of  Christianity,  this  temple  was  ut- 
terly destroyed. 

Besides  this  temple,  the  city  contained  many  other  magnifi- 
cent works — an  extensive  circus  for  chariot  races,  and  a  gym- 
nasium six  hundred  feet  in  length,  covering  a  space  of  an 
eighth  of  a  mile,  costly  temples  of  Pagan  deities,  and  princely 
palaces  of  rulers.  It  is  the  ruins  of  these  gorgeous  and  mas- 
sive structures  that  now  compose  these  unsightly  mounds  we  see 
around  us,  over  which  the  traveler  often  climbs  unconscious  of 
the  noble  monuments  that  are  entombed  beneath  his  feet. 

THE    MONUMENTS   OP   THE  PAST. 

But  little  is  left,  and  yet  that  little  is  of  great  interest  to  the 
modern  traveler.  They  are  the  links  that  connect  him  with 
the  past,  through  which  he  catches  faint  glimpses  of  the  former 
magnificence  of  the  place.  But  as  we  are  among  strangers, 
and  ignorant  of  the  language,  we  shall  need  a  guide  and  don- 
keys. Guides  are  plenty,  and  rapacious  as  wolves.  They  hang 
around  every  public  house,  and  pull  you  by  the  elbow  at  every 
corner  of  the  street.  Indeed,  they  commenced  their  importu- 
nities as  far  back  as  Malta,  several  coming  on  board  our  steam- 
er and  offering,  for  a  consideration  of  course,  to  go  the  whole 
journey  with  us.  We  had  scarcely  dropped  anchor  in  the  har- 
bor of  Alexandria,  before  three  or  four  were  on  board,  present- 
ing their  credentials  and  importuning  for  employment.    If  ever 


62 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI 


you  visit  Egypt,  do  not  hire  a  dragoman  at  Malta.  He  will  be 
an  expensive  and  useless  incumbrance  to  you  on  the  voyage. 
Do  not  hire  one  even  at  Alexandria,  except  for  occasional  ex- 
cursions. You  will  not  need  one  permanently  until  you  are 
embarked  in  some  long  excursion,  as  going  up  the  Kile,  or  of 
tent  life  in  Syria,  or  the  Sinai  desert.  I  employed  a  guide  for 
the  day,  and  now  we  shall  have  occasion  to  introduce  to  you  a 
very  useful  and  noted  little  animal, 

THE    EGYPTIAN  DONKEY. 

He  is  a  small  animal,  usually  about  three  feet  and  a  half 
high,  much  lighter  built  than  the  Shetland  pony.  Though 
now  abused  and  degraded,  he  claims  an  honored  ancestry.  He 
is  said  to  be  a  descendant  of  the  onager  or  wild  ass  of  the 
mountainous  deserts  of  Tartary — an  animal  renowned  in  histo- 
ry, sacred  and  profane,  for  the  fiery  activity  of  its  disposition, 
the  fleetness  of  its  course,  and  still  highly  prized  in  that  coun- 
try, and  in  Persia,  as  better  fitted  for  the  saddle  than  their  best 
breeds  of  horses.  The  ancient  patriarch,  Job,  has  introduced 
him  as  a  specimen  of  God's  noble  works. 

"  Who  sent  out  the  wild  ass  free, 

And  who  loosed  the  wanderers'  bands  ? 

Whose  house  I  made  the  desert, 

And  the  barren  wastes  his  abodes. 

He  mocks  at  the  clamor  of  the  city ; 

The  driver's  shouts  he  hears  not ; 

The  range  of  the  mountains  is  his  pastures." 

Noble  amimal !  how  hast  thou  been  debased,  and  what  de- 
grading changes  ignoble  slavery  has  wrought  in  thy  free,  wild 
nature !  Though  so  small  in  size,  and  destitute  of  the  ardor 
and  impetuosity  of  the  horse,  though  so  stultified  by  the  rigors 
of  taskmasters  hard  as  Israel  ever  knew,  I  do  not  see  how 
Egypt,  the  desert,  or  the  Arab  could  do  without  him.  He  is 
content  with  a  much  smaller  quantity  and  coarser  quality  of 
food  than  supplies  the  horse,  and  is  far  better  adapted  to  moun- 
tainous regions  and  these  sandy  plains. 

It  is  astonishing  how  useful  the  Egyptians  contrive  to  make 
this  insignificant  little  animal.    He  is  horse,  chariot,  cart  and 


LIFE    IN  ALEXANDRIA. 


63 


dray,  and  I  had  like  to  have  said  family  companion,  for  he 
may  often  be  seen  domiciled  with  the  children  in  the  huts  of 
the  fellahs.  His  ears  are  long,  erect,  and  inclined  forward;  his 
head,  with  its  sleepy-looking  eyes,  like  that  of  the  schoolmas- 
ter's horse,  described  by  Irving,  is  set  on  to  the  neck  like  a 
hammer.  He  is  grave,  sedate,  looks  wise,  and  minds  his  own 
business — is  patient,  and  bears  insult  and  abuse  even  to  a  fault, 
but  when  forbearance  ceases  to  be  a  virtue,  his  resentments  are 
kindled  by  the  slumbering  spirit  of  his  ancestry. 

His  pack-saddle  is  quite  ornamental,  variegated  with  party- 
colors  of  red  and  black,  with  a  broad,  stuffed,  easy  seat  for  the 
rider.  His  riding-bridle  is  usually  a  double  rein,  with  a  large 
bundle  of  polished  brass  rings  strung  on  them,  which  answer 
the  double  purpose  of  ornament  and  of  making  a  kind  of  tink- 
ling music  when  the  animal  is  in  motion.  Camels  are  used  for 
heavy  burdens,  but  the  donkey  is  the  great  institution  for  the 
transportation  of  persons,  and  all  kinds  of  smaller  wares  and 
merchandise.  Is  a  trunk  or  chest  to  be  moved,  it  is  clapped 
on  to  the  back  of  a  donkey,  and  held  there  by  two  or  three 
bare-legged  Arab  boys;  is  water  to  be  carried,  he  is  loaded 
down  with  a  curious  looking  freight  of  leather  bottles;  is  a 
cellar  to  be  dug,  a  troop  of  donkeys,  each  with  a  pair  of  bas- 
kets strapped  across  his  back,  are  seen  wheeling  in  and  out, 
carrying  the  dirt  with  the  patience  and  precision  of  a  grain 
elevator  in  one  of  our  large  flouring  mills,  while  great  stones 
for  the  walls  are  packed  on  to  his  back  in  the  same  manner ;  is 
a  pleasure  excursion  to  be  made,  these  faithful  little  animals 
are  at  once  brought  into  requisition.  And  now  for  our  first 
experience  in 

DONKEY-RIDING. 

We  were  no  sooner  at  the  hotel  door  than  our  wants  were 
anticipated,  and  a  score  of  donkey  boys  came  shoving  their  ani- 
mals athwart  our  path.  "With  their  hair  shaved'  close  to  the 
skin,  and  only  a  long  tuft  left  upon  the  extremity  of  the  tail, 
a  huge  saddle,  that  nearly  covered  them  up,  they  certainly  pre- 
sent a  very  ludicrous  appearance.  It  was  also  amusing  to  see 
the  earnestness  with  which  the  boys,  in  broken  English,  pre- 


(34 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


seated  the  claims  of  their  respective  aaioials.  "  Have  a  donkey, 
sir?  Good  donkey — one  ride  sixpence.  Have  a  donkey? 
Good  donkey."  Seeing  me  examine  one  as  if  about  to  make  a 
choice,  "Dat  boy's  donkey?  He  bad — no  good  donkey — he 
tumble  over  head.  He,  he,  hee  !  My  donkey  good  donkey — he 
go  like  steamboat.  You  take  him,  sah?  Sixpence,  only  six- 
pence." The  usual  charge  to  foreigners  is  an  English  sixpence 
for  a  short  excursion,  or  from  fifty  to  sixty  cents  if  hired  by 
the  day. 

Abdallah,  my  guide,  made  the  selection,  and  I  confess  I  felt 
a  sympathy  for  the  little  beast,  as  I  was  about  to  place  myself 
astride  his  puny  form.  He  was  so  small  a  strong  man  could 
easily  have  shouldered  him,  and  it  seemed  to  me  my  weight 
would  crush  him  to  the  ground.  The  moment  I  was  on  his 
back,  my  sympathy  vanished,  and  my  fears  turned  to  wonder 
and  admiratiou  at  the  strength  and  fLeetness  with  which  the 
little  fellow  bore  me,  moving  off  in  a  canter,  with  the  ease  of  a 
horse,  my  feet  almost  touching  the  ground.  It  is  astonishing 
what  burdens  they  will  carry.  I  have  sometimes  seen  two  per- 
sons upon  the  back  of  one  at  the  same  time,  and  the  meek  lit- 
tle animal  trudging  along  with  as  much  patience  as  though  he 
supposed  himself  destined  to  bear  all  the  burdens  his  exacting 
taskmasters  could  lay  upon  him.  If  you  have  a  donkey,  you 
must  have  a 

DONKEY  BOY. 

These  boys  are  numerous  and  important  enough  to  form  a 
distinct  class  in  the  population  of  Egypt.  They  are  usually 
from  twelve  to  twenty  years  old,  sharp  and  intelligent  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  their  business,  and  possessed  of  great 
power  of  endurance.  Their  simple  dress  consists  of  a  blue  cot- 
ton frock  or  shirt,  reaching  from  the  shoulders  to  a  little  below 
the  knees.  A  belt  is  drawn  around  the  waist,  and  the  frock 
being  open  above  this  in  front,  th.6  bosom  constitutes  a  pocket 
or  receptacle  into  which  all  kinds  of  articles,  nuts,  bread, 
oranges,  dates,  etc.,  are  stowed.  This  constitutes  the  lad's  entire 
wardrobe,  except  it  be  a  tarboosh,  or  sort  of  skull-cap  for  the 
head,  which,  most  of  them  being  Mohammedan  boys,  and  having 


SIGHTS    IN    ALEXANDEIA.  65 

/ 

the  cranium  closely  shaved,  except  a  single  tuft  upon  the 
crown,  makes  a  necessary  appendage.  No  provision  seems  to 
be  made  for  a  change  of  clothing ;  one  robe  answers  till  it  is 
worn  to  tatters,  and  then  another  is  substituted ;  the  independ- 
ent boy  never  gets  in  debt  to  the  wash-woman. 

The  donkey  is  seldom  taught  to  be  guided  by  the  bit,  as  we 
use  our  horses,  but  the  donkey  boy  runs  behind  him  and  guides 
him  with  a  stick  right  and  left,  or  urges  him  forward,  as  be- 
comes necessary.  In  this  way  he  runs  behind  you  all  day  long, 
if  necessary,  and  seems  to  have  as  much  power  of  endurance 
as  the  donkey  himself.  They  carry  a  heavy  stick  in  their  hand, 
with  which  they  hammer  and  cudgel  the  poor  beast  most  un- 
mercifully, the  hams  of  many  of  them  being  actually  hard  and 
callous  from  the  constant  infliction.of  these  heavy  blows.  Like 
the  beasts  they  drive,  they  are  accustomed  to  a  coarse  and  sim- 
ple fare,  and  if  they  get  small  wages,  it  costs  them  but  little  to 
live.  They  are  adepts  in  their  business ;  dealing  so  much  with 
foreigners,  and  such  a  mixed  multitude  congregating  in  this 
part  of  the  world,  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  hear  the  same 
boy  answering  with  equal  facility  in  English,  Arabic,  French, 
Greek  or  Italian,  and  driving  his  bargain  with  astonishing 
shrewdness.  At  first  I  felt  much  commiseration  for  them  at 
wrhat  seemed  to  be  their  hard  lot  in  following  my  donkey  hour 
after  hour,  but  when  one  day  one  of  them  had  run  after  me 
between  thirty  and  forty  miles,  my  donkey,  some  of  the  time, 
on  a  full  gallop,  I  asked  him  if  he  was  not  getting  tired.  He 
seemed  indignant  at  the  bare  insinuation,  and  answered  me 
with  a  contemptuous  tone :  "  TiredJ  No  !  Donkey  boy  never 
get  tired." 

But  here  I  am  in  full  canter  on  a  donkey,  boy  behind,  and 
guide  before.  What  shall  I  show  you  first?  Passing  out  of 
the  gate  on  the  southern  side  of  the  city,  you  have  only  eighteen 
hundred  feet  to  ride,  when  you  reach  an  irregular  eminence, 
upon  the  summit  of  which  stands 

pompey's  pillar. 

It  is  an  old  and  renowned  monument,  of  pedestal,  base,  shaft 
and  capital,  all  of  which  have  been  minutely  examined  by  the 


66 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


curious  and  scientific.  The  pedestal  is  a  huge  block  of  granite, 
about  ten  feet  square,  on  which  is  laid  a  thinner  and  broader 
stone,  constituting  the  base  of  the  column.  From  this  shoots 
up  an  elegant  shaft  of  red  granite  of  Syene,  round  and  smooth- 
ly polished,  on  which  rests  the  capital,  of  a  different  kind  of 
stone,  and  of  inferior  workmanship.  The  diameter  at  the  top 
of  the  capital  is  sixteen  feet  six  inches,  and  on  it  is  supposed 
to  have  formerly  stood  an  equestrian  statue.  This  beautiful 
and  magnificent  shaft,  rising  in  lonely  and  solemn  grandeur 
from  the  ruins  of  a  buried  city,  is  all  of  one  piece,  seventy-three 
feet  high  and  twenty- nine  feet  eight  inches  in  circumference. 
The  whole  hight  of  the  column  from  base  to  capital  is  ninety- 
eight  feet  nine  inches. 

This  interesting  relic  of  antiquity  has  long  oeen  left  unpro- 
tected. The  lower  end  of  the  shaft  and  portions  of  the  base 
have  been  much  defaced  by  travelers,  who  have  chipped  off 
portions  of  the  granite  as  mementoes  of  their  visit. 

Returning  to  town,  we  passed  through  an  extensive  Turkish 
cemetery.  The  oblong  white-washed  monuments  that  covered 
the  grounds  are  so  different  from  any  thing  we  see  in  our  own 
country,  they  present  a  very  novel  appearance;  but  the  grounds 
were  all  open  to  the  common,  the  tombs  were  in  a  dilapidated 
condition;  no  shade  trees,  grass-plats  or  shrubbery;  the  whole 
place  had  a  desolate  and  cheerless  aspect,  contrasting  strangely 
with  the  beautiful  groves  of  palm  trees,  and  the  gardens  of  or- 
anges and  citrons  about  it.  We  passed  through  the  city,  and 
directed  our  course  to 

CLEOPATRA'S  NEEDLES. 

These  are  found  at  the  northeast  angle  of  the  city,  just  with- 
in the  walls  and  near  the  sea  shore.  Of  these  remarkable  obe- 
lisks there  are  two,  one  standing,  the  other  has  fallen  down, 
and  is  now  nearly  buried  in  the  ground.  They  are  of  the  same 
material  as  Pompey's  Pillar,  red  granite,  from  the  quarries  of 
Syene,  a  town  of  Upper  Egypt.  It  is  said  they  stood  original- 
ly at  Heliopolis,  before  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  and  were  brought 
to  Alexandria  by  one  of  the  Csesars.  The  name  of  Cleopatra 
has  become  connected  with  them,  but  it  is  not  known  she  ever 


CLEOPATRA'S  NEEDLES. 


67 


had  anything  to  do  in  their  erection.  The  fallen  one  lies  close 
to  its  pedestal,  which  stood  on  two  steps  of  white  lime-stone. 
The  length  of  this  one,  in  its  mutilated  state,  is  sixty-six  feet, 
and  was  given,  many  years  since,  by  Mohammed  Ali  to  the  En- 
glish government,  as  a  token  of  gratitude  for  the  assistance  re- 
ceived from  them.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  offer  to  put  it  on 
board  any  transport  they  might  send  to  convey  it  to  England. 
For  some  reason  the  offer  was  not  accepted,  and  now  it  is  so 
much  mutilated,  and  the  inscriptions  so  defaced,  the  project  of 
its  removal  has  been  entirely  abandoned.  It  will  soon  be  buried 
from  sight,  another  entombed  memorial  of  the  massive  monu- 
ments of  an  extinct  race.  These  two  obelisks  stood  about 
seventy  paces  apart,  gracing  the  entrance  to  some  magnificent 
structure,  probably  th^  grand  Temple  of  Csesar,  the  ruins  of 
which  have  now  entirely  disappeared. 

The  standing  obelisk  is  about  seventy  feet  high,  seven  feet 
seven  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  tapering  towards  the 
top  to  less  than  five  feet.  Three  long  lines  of  hieroglyphics 
stretch  from  base  to  apex  along  each  side  of  this  huge  shaft. 
It  was  the  first  Egyptian  monument  I  had  met  inscribed  with 
these  strange  characters,  and  long  and  earnestly  I  gazed  upon 
them.  Upon  two  sides  of  the  monument  these  characters  have 
been  much  injured  by  the  action  of  the  winds  and  drifting 
sands,  but  the  cuttings  of  the  other  two  sides  still  retain  a  re- 
markable freshness,  and  one  wonders  how  they  could  so  long 
and  so  successfully  have  resisted  the  corroding  power  of  time. 

The  awe  with  which  one  looks  upon  these  strange  characters 
is  now  much  diminished,  for  the  awful  vail  of  mystery  that  once 
enshrouded  them  has  been  lifted,  the  patience  and  perseverance 
of  modern  investigation  has  triumphed,  the  secrets  of  the  obe- 
lisks, tombs  and  pyramids  have  been  unfolded.  The  central 
line  of  hieroglyphics  is  found  to  be  much  the  oldest,  and  fixes 
the  date  of  the  king  in  whose  reign  it  was  fiVt  erected.  Wil- 
kinson finds  here  the  name  of  Thothmes  III,  a  monarch  who 
reigned  fourteen  hundred  and  ninety-five  yea^s  before  Christ. 
In  the  side  lines  are  the  ovals  of  Remeses  the  Great,  the  sup- 
posed Sesostris,  1353  before  Christ. 

With  what  feelings  of  wonder  and  reverence  one  gazes  upon 


68 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


these  monumental  records  of  men  and  cities  that  have  long 
since  passed  away!  Nearly  thirty -five  hundred  years  ago  these 
immense  blocks  of  stone  were  chiseled  and  carved  with  exquis- 
ite skill,  transported  hundreds  of  miles,  and  by  herculean 
power  set  upon  their  strong  foundations.  Did  not  God  permit 
them  to  be  constructed,  and  has  he  not  preserved  them  as  pre- 
cious leaves  in  his  historic  books,  that  the  knowledge  of  the 
past  might  not  be  entirely  obliterated?  From  Cleopatra's  Nee- 
dles we  turned  to  visit 

THE  CATACOMBS. 

We  have  been  traveling  over  the  ruins  of  the  city  of  the  liv- 
ing, gazing  upon  its  monuments,  and  trampling  upon  the 
crumbling  ruins  of  temples  and  palaces^  This  is  Necropolis, 
the  City  of  the  Dead  !  A  ride  of  a  little  more  than  two  miles 
and  a  half  towards  the  coast  to  the  westward  of  the  city, 
brought  us  upon  the  confines  of  these  wonderful  subterranean 
structures,  which,  it  is  said,  more  than  any  thing  else,  attests  the 
greatness  of  the  former  city.  The  grounds  near  the  entrance 
were  once  covered  with  the  costly  habitations  and  beautiful 
gardens  of  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  It  is  not  duly  the  vast  ex- 
tent of  these  underground  tenements  that  excite  admiration, 
but  the  architectural  symmetry  and  beauty  found  in  many  of 
them,  the  more  wonderful  from  the  fact  that  they  are  all  chis- 
eled in  the  solid  rock.  One  chamber  has  a  Doric  entablature 
and  moldings  of  the  Greek  style,  there  being  nothing  like  it 
in  any  other  part  of  Egypt. 

In  one  place  my  guide  took  me  into  a  small  rock-hewn  tem- 
ple entirely  under  ground.  There  was  an  altar  and  seat  for  the 
officiating  priest,  and  a  ledge  of  the  native  rock  left  around 
three  sides,  in  the  form  of  the  settees  or  divans  in  oriental 
buildings,  intended  for  seats.  From  it  doors  opened  into  sev- 
eral other  chambers,  with  numerous  niches  cut  in  the  rocks,  in- 
tended as  receptacles  for  the  bodies  of  the  dead.  It  was  evi- 
dently intended,  and  used  in  former  days,  for  the  performance 
of  sepulchral  rites.  I  could  not  but  reflect,  as  I  stood  in  this 
subterranean  chapel,  how  awfully  solemn  and  impressive  must 
have  been  the  obsequies  of  the  dead  in  these  lower  regions ! 


MONUMENTAL  STONES. 


69 


The  profound  stillness,  the  dim  light  of  the  flickering  lamps, 
the  solemn  chant  and  funeral  wail,  all  the  gloomy  associations 
of  the  place  must  have  added  intense  solemnity  to  the  scene, 
as  mourners  and  friends  gathered  around  the  bier  in  this  lone 
charnel  house.  In  these  tombs  generation  after  generation  de- 
posited their  dead.  Egyptians,  Persians,  Greeks,  Romans  and 
Saracens  have,  no  doubt,  in  turn  used  them,  and  different  na- 
tions, the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  lordling  and  the  slave,  have 
here  blended  in  common  dust. 

Most  of  these  tombs  are  now  empty ;  through  chamber  after 
chamber  scarce  a  bone  can  be  found.  Some  of  them  date  back 
to  an  early  Egyptian  period,  and  in  them  have  been  found  sar- 
cophagi, mummies,  gold  and  silver  ornaments,  vases  of  differ- 
ent materials  and  of  curious  workmanship,  which  have  been 
taken  to  enrich  the  museums  of  Europe  and  America. 

But  we  must  close  our  visits  to  these  monumental  records 
that  link  the  present  with  the  past.  Ancient  Alexandria,  with 
all  her  magnificence  and  splendor,  is  now  nothing  but  heaps  of 
ruins.  The  modern  city  stands  upon  the  rains  of  the  past,  like 
a  monumental  stone  upon  the  burial  vault  of  the  dead.  Here 
costly  palaces  of  kings  and  gigantic  temples  of  deities  have 
fallen  and  crumbled,  and  over  their  ruins  the  desert  sands  have 
drifted,  and  on  the  accumulated  piles  of  broken  shafts,  capitals 
and  entablatures,  the  rank  weeds  flourish  and  the  careless  villa- 
ger roams.  The  wild  Arab  came  with  his  sword  and  spear, 
and  rolled  the  desolations  of  war  over  the  place.  The  monu- 
ments of  splendor,  wealth  and  art  wasted  before  him — ruin  and 
death  were  in  his  path.  Pompey's  Pillar  and  Cleopatra's  Nee- 
dle alone  are  left,  lifting  their  giant  forms  against  the  sky — en- 
during monuments,  marking,  like  grave-stones,  the  site  of  a 
dead  and  entombed  city. 


70 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  Night  in  Alexandria — Ride  to  Cairo — Sights  and  Scenes 
Along  the  Way. 

There  is  but  little  in  modern  Alexandria  of  interest  to  the 
traveler.  The  European  population  have  exerted  great  influ- 
ence upon  the  place;  the  streets  have  been  named  and  the 
houses  numbered.  The  population  is  a  mixed  multitude  of 
many  kindreds,  tribes  and  tongues,  and  not  famous  for  their 
morality  or  integrity. 

The  Frank  square,  supposed  to  occupy  the  very  site  of  the 
ancient  clocks,  is  by  far  the  most  inviting  place  in  the  city.  In 
this  square  stands  a  small  obelisk  of  oriental  alabaster,  pre- 
sented to  the  city  by  Mohammed  Ali.  Around  the  square  the 
English  church,  the  principal  hotels,  and  the  offices  of  most  of 
the  foreign  consuls  are  found.  The  city  is  now  a  great  com- 
mercial place,  and  many  of  the  Franks  and  Greeks  are  quite 
wealthy. 

The  streets  of  the  Turkish  quarter  are  narrow,  irregular  and 
dirty,  there  being  no  appearance  of  plan  or  order  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  them  or  the  houses.  Occasionally,  a  fine  lat- 
ticed window  or  an  old  Saracenic  arch  will  arrest  attention, 
while  the  bazars  present  a  most  novel  and  curious  scene  to  one 
who  has  never  before  visited  a  city  of  the  Orient.  After  a  ride 
through  the  bazars,  along  the  harbor,  by  the  canal  among  the 
multitude  of  boats,  piles  of  merchandise,  long  lines  of  store- 
houses, and  queer  looking  laborers  of  all  colors,  tribes  and 
tongues,  Abdalla  took  me  to 

THE    VICEROY'S  PALACE. 

This  was  built  by  Mohammed  Ali,  when  Alexandria  was 
raised  to  the  distinction  of  sharing  with  Cairo  the  honors  of 


JUSTICE    IN    A  HAKEM. 


71 


the  capital.  It  is  a  fine  residence,  combining  the  European 
and  Oriental  styles  of  architecture.  It  stands  upon  an  emin- 
ence facing  the  harbor,  commanding  a  most  enchanting  view 
of  the  port  and  the  shipping.  The  entrance  was  through  a 
small  garden  into  a  large  inclosure,  with  high  walls  on  all  sides. 
The  ascent  of  a  Turkish  staircase  brought  us  to  the  entrance 
of  the  principal  rooms,  at  the  head  of  which  we  found  two 
Arab  servants,  keeping  watch  over  the  place.  A  backsheesh, 
of  course,  could  only  open  the  doors  of  this  sanctum  of  royalty. 
The  fee  was  paid ;  Abdallah  slipped  off  his  shoes  and  left  them 
at  the  head  of  the  stairs;  the  servants,  having  no  polluting  in- 
cumbrance of  the  kind,  had  no  preparation  to  make,  while  I, 
being  a  Frank,  and  not  expected  to  observe  the  usual  forms 
of  sanctity  that  characterize  the  place,  was  allowed  to  walk  on, 
with  hat  and  shoes,  unmolested.  The  style  is  Oriental  and 
gaudy  in  the  extreme.  Some  of  the  rooms  are  magnificently 
furnished,  enriched  and  ornamented  with  costly  presents  from 
the  different  sovereigns  of  Europe.  One  of  the  most  remarka- 
ble of  these,  is  a  splendid  round  table  of  Roman  mosaic,  repre- 
senting the  most  interesting  monuments  of  the  Eternal  City — 
a  present  from  the  Pope.  Near  the  palace,  just  across  the 
public  highway,  and  also  facing* the  sea,  is 

THE  HAREM. 

This,  of  course,  we  were  not  allowed  to  visit,  but  the  gate  of 
the  outer  inclosure  standing  open,  we  were  witnesses  of  a  very 
novel,  but  I  cannot  say  interesting,  scene.  Just  without  the 
gate,  three  swarthy  looking  fellows  had  an  Ethiopian  servant, 
naked  down  to  the  hips,  prostrate  upon  his  face,  one  holding 
him  by  the  hands  and  head,  another  by  the  feet,  while  the 
third  was  laying  a  rope's  end  upon  his  naked  back  as  though 
his  very  life  depended  upon  the  vigor  with  which  he  applied  it. 
The  poor  fellow  groaned,  writhed  and  yelled,  but  there  was  no 
mercy  for  him.  Seeing  a  crowd  rapidly  gathering,  the  execu- 
tioner paused,  made  a  pass  at  them  with  his  rope's  end,  scatter- 
ing them  in  double  quick  time,  while  the  two  assistants  jerked 
their  victim  within  the  inclosure  and  slammed  to  the  gate. 
Instigated  by  the  curiosity  common  to  our  race,  I  told  Abdallah 


72 


EGYPT  AED  SINAI. 


to  step  up  to  the  gate  and  see  if  he  could  learn  what  crime  the 
poor  fellow  had  committed  for  which  he  was  so  severly  handled. 
He  returned  in  a  few  minutes,  stating  that  the  fellow  had  stolen 
money  and  lied  about  it,  and  that  they  were  going  to  get  salt 
water  to  dip  the  rope  in  and  continue  the  beating.  0,  Justice ! 
if  this  is  the  rigor  with  which -thou  dealest  in  the  harems  of 
Pashas,  I  should  choose  to  incur  thy  displeasure  in  some  place 
where  thine  exactions  come  with  a  slower  and  lighter  hand ! 
The  day  closes,  and  our  excursion  ends.  To-morrow  morning 
I  am  to  leave  for  Cairo,  to  see  more  of  the  wonders  of  this  land, 
to  catch  the  first  glimpses  of  the  mighty  pyramids,  and  walk 
the  streets  of  the  old  city  of  the  Caliphs. 

NIGHT   IN    AN   EGYPTIAN  CITY 

Is  a  gloomy  place;  no  gas-light,  business  suspended,  stores 
and  shops  all  closed,  no  amusements,  no  meetings,  no  windows 
next  the  streets  to  shed  even  a  little  light  upon  the  gloomy 
alleys;  if  the  moon  does  not  come  out  to  relieve  the  scene,  all 
is  literally  involved  in  Egyptian  darkness. 

I  sat  down  to  review  the  day,  my  first  among  the  scenes  of  the 
Orient.  That  dragoman  !  who  had  so  kindly  urged  himself  upon 
me  as  guide,  seemed  to  stand  like  a  spectre  before  me.  Let  me 
see — how  much  am  I  indebted  to  him?  I  had  to  pay  fifty 
cents  for  a  donkey  for  him,  and  a  backsheesh  to  his  donkey 
boy ;  he  made  me  pay  double  backsheesh  to  a  ragged  old  Arab 
at  Pompey's  Pillar,  who  pretended  to  take  care  of  it,  and  an- 
other at  Cheopatra's  Needle,  when  neither  of  them  had  a  right 
to  a  single  para,  and  had  no  business  there  only  to  beg  from 
travelers ;  asked  me  for  a  shilling  to  buy  a  wax  candle  with  which 
to  go  into  the  catacombs,  when  he  knew  the  old  Turk  in  attend- 
ance would  furnish  a  torch  and  make  me  pay  roundly  for  it, 
and  he  would  keep  the  candle  for  his  own  use  when  he  got 
home ;  asked  me  to  give  a  backsheesh  to  the  old  Turk  and  a 
few  pence  to  each  of  half  a  dozen  ragged  children  he  called  his 
family ;  made  me  pay  fifty  cents  to  those  rapacious  servants  at 
the  Pasha's  palace,  when  half  that  amount  would  have  been 
more  than  enough;  helped  me  to  do  a  little  shopping,  and  con- 
nived with  the  salesman  to  make  me  pay  double  price  for  every 


A    NIGHT    IN  ALEXANDRIA. 


73 


article;  then  charged  me  only  one  dollar  and  a  half  for  his  ser- 
vices, and  got  through  time  enough  to  go  all  around  again  and 
gather  up  half  the  backsheesh  as  his  share  of  the  spoils !  All 
this  when  I  could  just  as  well  have  dispensed  with  his  services, 
taken  a .  donkey  boy,  that  could  talk  English,  and  done  the 
whole  of  it  with  the  aid  of  my  guide-book.  0,  Abdallah  Sulei- 
man !  I  must  record  thy  name  in  my  book  as  a  type  of  thy  pro- 
fession. I  see  I  have  many  things  to  learn — I  shall  be  wiser 
when  I  get  to  Cairo. 

The  morning  light  found  me  wakeful,  as  I  had  been  through 
the  night.  Darkness  was  upon  the  city,  but  silence  held  no 
dominion.  Dogs  are  among  the  notable  things  of  this  land 
and  city.  They  go  trooping  about  in  packs  like  wolves.  They 
are  a  gaunt,  hyena-looking  breed,  acknowledging  no  master,  and 
yielding  obedience  to  no  law  but  that  of  their  own  savage  na- 
ture. They  make  night  hideous  with  their  howlings,  and  get 
up  numerous  fights,  which  seem  to  be  a  part  of  their  regular 
business.    In  addition  to  this,  we  had 

THE   WATCHMAN'S  CALL. 

Every  fifteen  minutes  a  yell  rung  through  the  city  as  if  a 
hundred  men  were  prompted  by  some  impending  calamity  to 
rouse  the  sleeping  denizens.  I  learned  in  the  morning  these 
were  the  watchmen.  Every  fifteen  minutes  the  leader  of  a  di- 
vision, taking  an  assigned  stand,  gathers  himself  up  for  the 
effort,  and  commences  a  long,  shrill  cry ;  each  watchman  catches 
the  key  and  prolongs  the  sound.  It  goes  from  street  to  street, 
from  square  to  square,  till  every  dome,  turret  and  battlement 
rings  with  the  echoes.  A  calm  oAfteen  minutes  succeeds,  and 
again  the  prolonged  shout  assures  the  waking  citizen  "  all  is 
well."  Then  came,  as  a  strictly  Mohammedan  peculiarity  of 
the  place, 

THE   MUEZZIN'S  CALL  TO  PRAYER. 

Five  periods  are  set  apart  in  each  day  as  special  seasons  of 
prayer.  These  every  good  Mohammedan  is  expected  to  ob- 
serve, but  they  are  often  neglected,  and  many  persons,  it  is  said, 
do  not  pray  at  all.    But  this  neglect  does  not  arise  from  the 


74 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


want  of  an  admonition.  From  the  minarets  of  their  mosques 
the  call  is  regularly  made.  One  of  these  calls  is  just  after  mid 
night,  another  about  the  break  of  day.  At  the  appointed  hour 
the  muezzin  ascends  to  the  gallery  of  the  minaret,  pitches  his 
voice  to  a  monotonous  chant,  and  commences :  "  God  is  great, 
God  is  great!  Prayer  is  better  than  sleep.  I  testify  that  there 
is  no  deity  but  God.  I  testify  that  Mohammed  is  God's  apos- 
tle. Come  to  prayer,  come  to  prayer."  The  call  varies  upon 
different  occasions.  Sometimes  quite  long  exhortations  are 
given.  The  time  for  the  morning  call  is  just  as  the  light  is 
dawning,  at  the  very  moment,  say  their  books,  that  a  man  can 
distinguish  between  a  black  thread  and  a  white.  Most  of  these 
pious  watchmen  have  very  harmonious  voices,  and  as  they  come 
breaking  in  melodious  sweetness  upon  the  still  air  of  night, 
there  is  in  them  a  simple  and  solemn  melody  at  once  peculiar 
and  touching. 

OPE   FOR  CAIRO. 

The  present  facilities  for  reaching  Cairo  can  only  be  appre- 
ciated by  those  who  have  been  familiar  with  the  former  slow 
locomotion  of  canal  and  river.  Then,  it  was  by  the  toilsome 
process  of  wind,  sails  and  oars;  now,  a  first  class  railroad  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  in  length  connects  the  two  cities. 
There  are  three  rates  of  fare,  ten,  five  and  a  half,  and  two  dol- 
lars nearly,  when  reduced  to  our  money.  At  9  o'clock  a.  m., 
the  last  signal  whistle  was  given,  the  motley  crowd  that  had 
gathered  around  opened  right  and  left,  and  we  struck  out  into 
the  great  delta  of  the  Nile.  Upon  our  right,  as  we  pass,  is  lake 
Mareoiis,  an  immense  sheetipf  water,  renowned  in  old  Egyptian 
history.  It  was  formerly  connected  by  canals  with  the  river, 
its  banks  were  thickly  inhabited,  and  it  was  adorned  by  several 
beautiful  and  fertile  islands.  The  gravelly  nature  of  the  soil 
of  these  islands  peculiarly  fitted  them  for  the  culture  of  the 
grape,  and  the  Mareotic  wine  was  celebrated  above  all  others 
for  its  exquisite  qualities. 

Away  to  the  left  is  the  harbor  of  Aboukir,  where  Nelson 
with  his  fleet  met  the  French  in  1798.  The  conflict  was  a 
bloody  one — the  English  losing  in  killed  and  wounded  eight 


COMPULSOKY  LABOR. 


75 


hundred  and  ninety- five  men,  the  French  fifty- two  hundred 
and  twenty -five.  His  victory  was  complete;  all  the  French 
ships  except  two  were  captured,  and  the  victor  was  rewarded 
with  the  title,  Baron  Nelson  of  the  Nile.  And  now  may  be  seen 
the  long-pointed  lateen  sails  of  the  boats  upon 

MOHAMMED'S   GREAT  CANAL. 

This  canal  is  about  sixty  miles  in  length,  connecting  Alexan- 
dria with  the  Nile  at  Atfeh.  It  was  formerly  the  main  thor- 
oughfare for  travelers,  and  still  continues  to  be  for  large  quanti- 
ties of  merchandise  and  produce.  There  was  a  canal  here  in 
'  ancient  times,  but  Mohammed  Ali  found  it  in  a  ruined  condi- 
tion, a  portion  of  it  having  been  choked  up  for  centuries.  This 
energetic  .but  exacting  prince  found  it  necessary  to  repair  it,  to 
consummate  his  plans  for  making  Alexandria  the  commercial 
capital  of  his  kingdom.  He  made  a  compulsory  levy  upon  the 
villages  of  the  land  for  workmen.  It  is  said  that  twenty  thous- 
and men  were  employed  on  it  without  pay,  driven  to  their  work 
like  beasts  of  burden.  These  were  relieved  from  time  to  time 
by  fresh  relays,  each  working  a  certain  number  of  days.  Such 
was  the  energy  with  which  the  work  was  prosecuted,  it  was 
completed  in  six  months.  And  yet  such  was  the  fatigue  and 
exposure  of  the  workmen,  poorly  fed,  and  unaccustomed  to  the 
low  and  swampy  grounds,  it  is  estimated  that  from  twenty  to 
thirty  thousand  of  them  perished.  So  level  is  the  country, 
there  is  not  a  single  lock  the  whole  sixty  miles  from  Alexandria 
to  Atfeh.  It  is  a  long,  muddy,  dirty  ditch,  twelve  to  fifteen 
feet  deep,  and  fifty  to  one  hundred  wide. 

Much  of  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria  is  low  and 
wet,  too  much  so  for  cultivation.  As  we  passed  on,  the  fertility 
of  the  land  seemed  to  increase.  The  immense  green  plain 
stretched  out  upon  each  side  of  us  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
The  second  crops  since  the  inundation  were  now  growing,  the 
first  having  been  harvested  about  two  months  since.  Crops  of 
some  kind  are  raised  all  the  year  round,  except  when  the  soil 
is  covered  with  water  from  the  inundation  of  the  Mle.  There 
is  no  frost  or  cold  weather  sufficient  to  prevent  the  growth  of 
vegetation. 


76 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


Every  thing  as  you  pass  has  a  strange  and  oriental  look. 
Manners,  costumes,  modes  of  building,  living  and  working,  are 
all  different  from  what  we  have  been  accustomed  to  see.  Occa- 
sionally we  pass  one  of 

THE   MODERN  VILLAGES. 

The  present  population,  numbering  about  two  millions,  are 
gathered  into  the  cities  and  villages.  These  villages  of  the 
fellah's  are  the  most  miserable  places  imaginable.  The  houses 
are  small,  dirty  and  uncomfortable,  built  of  unburnt  bricks,  and 
cemented  with  mud.  Most  of  them  are  only  one  story  high,  and 
have  but  one  room.  A  few  pieces  of  the  palm  tree  are  stretched* 
across  the  top  as  beams  or  joists  to  support  the  roof,  on  which 
are  laid  millet  stalks  or  palm  leaves,  and  over  these  is  daubed  a 
covering  of  mud.  A  hole  or  two  in  the  mud  walls,  sometimes 
grated,  constitute  the  windows  and  answer  for  the  admission 
of  light  and  air.  Glass  is  seldom  seen.  The  door  is  low,  often 
not  more  than  three  or  four  feet  high,  and  this,  in  many  in- 
stances, answers  for  both  door  and  window.  The  floor  is  not 
unfrequently  a  foot  or  two  below  the.  level  of  the  ground.  A 
little  elevation  of  earth,  about  a  foot  high  and  two  broad,  runs 
around  a  portion  of  the  room  in  the  form  of  a  divan,  answering 
the  purpose  of  a  seat  by  day  and  a  bed  by  night,  on  which 
they  spread  a  mat,  if  they  are  able  to  indulge  in  such  a  luxury ; 
if  not,  the  bare  ground  is  used.  Most  of  these  houses  have  an 
oven,  built,  like  the  houses,  of  mud  and  brick,  arched  within 
and  flat  on  the  top.  In  cold  nights  the  top  of  this  is  the  family 
lodging  place,  a  fire  having  been  kindled  within.  As  they 
have  no  extra  clothing  for  the  night,  this  arrangement  often 
adds  much  to  the  comfort  of  the  inmates.  These  villages  they 
generally  contrive  to  build  upon  a  little  eminence,  formed  gen- 
erally by  the  debris  of  ruined  towns,  that  they  may  escape  the 
inundations  of  the  Nile. 

Their  furniture  is  of  the  simplest  and  most  economical  kind. 
Think  of  it,  0  ye  daughters  of  luxury,  who  go  laden  from  your 
fathers'  houses  with  a  costly  supply  fit  for  a  palace !  A  mat,  if 
convenient,  for  a  bed,  if  not,  the  mud  floor,  or  the  top  of  the  oven, 
will  answer ;  a  little  hand-mill  to  grind  the  corn,  a  skillet  to  cook 


WOMEN  OP  THE  LOWER  CLASSES  AND 
MODE  OF  CARRYING  CHILDREN. 


CONDITION   OP    THE  NATIVES. 


79 


it  in,  and  a  stone  jar  or  two  for  water,  and  the  young  couple  are 
ready  to  enter  upon  the  fond  enjoyments  and  responsible  du- 
ties of  the  conjugal  relation.  No  chairs,  no  bedsteads,  no 
tables,  no  chest  of  drawers,  no  spoons,  knives  or  forks,  and  as 
for  a  wardrobe — shade  of  Flora  McFlimsey! — a  blue  cotton 
frock  or  chemise,  the  corner  of  which  sometimes  answers  for  a 
vail,  the  only  dress  by  day  and  the  only  garment  by  night,  de- 
fying the  power  of  fashion  to  change  its  form  or  cast  it  aside 
till  worn  to  shreds,  its  place  is  supplied  by  a < fellow  of  its  own 
likeness.  And  as  for  the  little  ones — what  native  simplicity! 
No  waste  of  soap,  no  morning  and  evening  chorus  over  the 
dreaded  wash-bowl ;  and  if  you  have  no  rags  to  cover  them,  they 
go  rollicking  about  the  door,  or  troop  in  herds  about  the  village 
common,  in  costume  such  as  Dame  Nature  alone  bestows. 

I  am  aware  this  will  be  thought  an  exaggerated  picture,  but  I 
am  dealing  in  grave  realities.  About  Alexandria  and  Cairo, 
and  along  the  line  of  the  railroads,  frequent  contact  with  the 
Franks,  and  the  introduction  of  European  habits  of  tidiness, 
and  attention  to  personal  appearance,  has  produced  considera- 
ble changq.  The  habits  of  dress  and  modes  of  life  have  been 
much  improved,  and  naked  children  are  not  as  often  seen.  But 
in  many  parts  of  the  land  it  is  astonishing  with  what  strange 
indifference  the  unrobed  human  figure  is  regarded.  The  pro- 
prieties of  civilized  life,  among  both  male  and  female,  are 
strangely  disregarded.  Nor  have  I  overdrawn  the  cheerless, 
comfortless,  destitute  condition  of  their  homes.  They  live 
mostly  out  of  doors,  and  men  and  women,  in  their  thin,  dirty 
dress  of  blue,  may  be  seen  at'  all  hours  of  the  day,  sitting 
around  the  outside  of  their  miserable  mud  hovels,  flat  upon  the 
bare  ground,  in  the  midst  of  filth  and  fleas,  with  their  squalid 
children  gathering  around  them.  Chickens  are  abundant,  and 
appear  to  enjoy  uninterrupted  ingress  and  egress  to  all  the  hu- 
man apartments;  while  goats  roam  in  unrestrained  liberty; 
donkeys  make  a  part  of  the  family  household,  and  savage, 
hyena-looking  dogs  roll  in  the  dirt  with  the  children,  or  lie 
basking  in  the  sun  on  the  house-tops,  or,  what  is  more  common, 
come  driving  at  you  with  open  mouth  and  wolf-like  fierceness. 
The  fellaheen  or  villagers  of  Egypt  may  have  a  different  stand- 


°V  EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 

arc!  of  social  bliss  and  the  comforts  of  life  from  other  portions 
of  the  world,  but  to  one  accustomed  to  the  blessings  and  luxu- 
ries of  civilization,  they  appear  to  be  reduced  to  the  most 
abject  poverty  and  wretchedness.  Of  such  degradation,  filth 
and  squalid  misery,  I  had  never  before  formed  a  conception. 
Neither  Europe,  in  the  abject  poverty  of  factory  operatives  and 
miners,  or  America,  with  her  delving  slave  population,  can 
give  any  examples  of  the  kind. 

The  men  appear  to  be  a  lounging,  indolent,  easy  set  of  fel- 
lows, more  lazy  than  vicious.  Some  women  of  the  lower  class 
go  entirely  without  vails,  and  are  often  seen  engaged  in 
the  most  menial  drudgery ;  yet  even  in  such  ones  the  ruling 
passion  for  ornament  shows  itself;  a  row  of  small  coins  or  coral 
beads  will  grace  the  neck,  a  massive  bracelet  adorn  the  wrist, 
and  not  unfrequently  the  ears,  and  sometimes  even  the  nose,  is 
graced  with  a  pendant  of  clumsy  jewelry.  Some  tattoo  the 
arms  and  the  face,  and  others  stain  their  nails,  eye-brows,  and 
sometimes  other  portions  of  the  body,  with  henna.  The  chil- 
dren of  these  poor  peasants  are  a  forlorn  looking  set.  Their 
eyes,  often  affected  with  ophthalmia,  nearly  closed  ud  and  cov- 
ered with  flies,  are  never  washed,  for  fear  of  increasing  the  vir- 
ulence of  the  disease!  They  are  often  carried  about  sitting 
carelessly  astride  the  mother's  shoulder,  apparently  as  much 
at  ease,  and  having  as  little  fear  of  falling  as  though  they  were 
snuggly  tucked  into  a  cradle.  But  after  all  the  debasement 
and  poverty  to  which  the  lowest  class  of  the  female  population 
is  subjected,  bare-limbed  and  scantily  clad  as  they  are,  there  is 
often  a  dignity  and  grace  in  their  movements,  contrasting 
strangely  with  their  personal  appearance.  To  see  one  standing 
erect,  with  her  child  astride  of  her  shoulder,  or  bearing  a  well 
poised  water-jar  upon  her  head  without  the  assistance  of  either 
hand,  as  one  has  well  said,  no  Andalusian  could  tread  the  earth 
with  greater  freedom  or  grace. 

As  you  ride  on,  cast  your  eye  right  and  left  over  the  plain. 
The  monotony  of  the  green  valley  is  broken  here  and  there,  not 
only  by  such  a  mud  village  as  we  have  described,  but  occasion- 
ally a  sheik's  tomb,  a  little  dome- like,  white- washed  structure, 
is  seen  amidst  the  verdure,  and  here  and  there  the  graceful 


THE  HEAD-DRESS. 


8 1 


date-palm  lifts  its -strait  and  elegant  form  into  the  air,  shaking 
its  graceful  feathery  foliage  in  the  "breeze.  "Where  now  so  few 
villages  are  seen  the  land  was  once  densely  peopled. 

THE   PRESENT  POPULATION. 

The  present  population  of  Egypt  is  truly  a  mixed  multitude; 
here  are  Moslem  Egyptians,  Christian  Egyptians  or  Copts,  Os- 
manlees  or  Turks,  Syrians,  Greeks,  Armenians,  Jews,  and  rep- 
resentatives of  most  of  the  European  nations.  The  Moslem 
Arabs  compose  the  main  portion  of  the  population,  and  though 
strangers  and  foreigners,  they  have  overrun  and  possessed  the 
land.  Their  number  and  influence  have  been  such  as  to  entirely 
change  the  language,  laws  and  general  manners  of  the  country. 
A  large  mixture  of  Abyssinian  blood,  and  of  other  African 
tribes  has  been  introduced  among  them,  so  that  they  vary  much 
in  the  color  of  their  skin — some  have  a  clear  yellowish  com- 
plexion, some  are  tawny,  others  quite  black.  The  country 
people,  or  agriculturists,  are  called  fellaheen,  the  singular  is 
fellah.  The  language  of  the  county  is  Arabic;  this  is  taught 
in  their  schools,  and  made  the  general  medium  of  communica- 
tion for  contracts,  business  and  official  transactions. 

THE  TURBAN. 

"We  have  spoken  of  the  dress  of  the  lower  classes — that  of 
the  middle  class  is  much  better,  and  of  the  higher  class  often 
elaborate,  rich  and  elegant.  The  turban  is  a  Moslem  institu- 
tion, aud  worthy  of  special  notice.  The  men  all  wear  it  while 
living,  and  a  marble  one  usually  adorns  their  grave  when  dead. 
Their  method  of  shaving  the  head  makes  a  head-dress  'more 
essential,  not  only  to  cover  up  the  bald  portion  of  the  closely 
shaven  pate,  but  also  to  conceal  the  strange  looking  tuft  that 
crowns  its  summit.  The  uncovered  head  of  one  of  these  sons 
of  Ishmael  has  certainly  a  very  fantastic  appearance,  and  would 
not  fail  to  excite  the  mirth  of  any  one  unaccustomed  to  it  ; 
therefore,  they  are  as  careful  of  uncovering  the  head  in  com- 
pany as  a  bald  gentleman  with  us  would  be  of  lifting  his  wig, 

A  small,  close-fitting  cotton  cap  is  drawn  over  the  head ;  over 
this  is  drawn  a  "  tarboosh,"  a  red  cloth  or  felt  cap,  also  fitting 


82  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

close,  rounded  upon  the  top  to  conform  to  the  shape  of  the 
skull,  and  surmounted  with  a  long,  heavy  tassel  of  dark  "blue 
silk.  To  complete  the  toilet,  a  long  cashmere  shawl,  or  piece 
of  white  muslin,  or  striped  silk,  or  any  other  color  to  suit  the 
degree  of  rank,  religious  sect,  or  fancy  of  the  wearer,  is  wound 
several  times  around  the  head,  and  the  ends  tucked  under. 
This  is  the  turban.  Mohammed  wore  it,  and  every  Mussulman 
esteems  and  honors  it,  though  it  is  a  hot  and  cumbersome  head- 
dress for  a  warm  climate.  Among  the  poorer  class  of  boys, 
many,  from  poverty,  wear  only  the  cotton  cap,  and  some  add 
the  tarboosh,  without  the  cumbrous  scarf  adornment.  A  "  she- 
reef,"  or  descendant  of  the  Prophet,  is  permitted  to  wear  a 
green  turban,  and  may  also  sometimes  be  seen  in  a  bright 
green  dress. 

Several  different  sects  are  distinguished  by  the  color  and 
form  of  the  turban.  The  Druses  of  Syria  wear  a  monstrous 
white  one ;  the  Jews  and  Copts,  conforming  to  the  custom  of 
the  country,  wear  them,  but  of  a  different  color  from  those  of 
the  Turks  and  Arab^s — those  of  the  Jews  almost  uniformly  be- 
ing of  dark  blue.  As  an  instance  of  the  great  respect  paid  to 
the  turban,  a  story  is  told  of  a  sheik  who  was  thrown  from 
his  donkey  in  the  streets  of  Cairo,  and  himself  and  turban  sent 
rolling  in  the  dirt.  The  bystanders  pursued  the  turban,  crying, 
"Lift  up  the  crown  of  El  Islam."  The  unfortunate  sheik, 
vexed  that  his  head-dress  should  receive  more  attention  than 
his  person,  gathered  himself  up  and  cried  out  in  anger:  "Lift 
up  the  sheik  of  El  Islam." 

SLIPPERS,    SMOKING,    SIGNET  RINGS. 

Stockings  are  not  worn,  but  cotton  or  woolen  socks  are  some- 
times put  on  in  the  coldest  weather.  The  shoes  are  a  low  kind 
of  slippers,  made  of  bright  red  morocco,  sharply  pointed  at  the 
toes,  and  turned  up  like  a  sled  runner.  As  these  are  always 
slipped  off  when  one  enters  a  mosque,  or  steps  upon  a  mat  or 
carpet,  they  are  generally  worn  turned  down  at  the  heel. 

Smoking  is  a  national  business;  find  an  Egyptian  if  you  can 
without  a  pipe  in  his  mouth,  and  a  pouch  of  tobacco  in  his  bo- 


LADIES'    COSTUMES.  83 

som.  They  live  and  die  amid  the  curling  clouds  and  delicious 
fragrance  of  the  Indian  weed. 

A  signet  ring  or  seal  is  carried  by  almost  every  person  who 
can  afford  it.  This  is  generally  of  silver,  worn  upon  the  little 
finger,  or  carried  in  the  purse  with  the  money.  On  this  is  en- 
graved the  person's  name,  and  in  all  written  contracts  is 
stamped  upon  the  paper  as  witness  of  the  bargain,  and  is  thus 
substituted  for  the  written  name  of  the  person.  This  use  of 
the  seal  is  an  ancient  custom,  dating  back  even  anterior  to  the 
Hebrews,  and  often  alluded  to  in  the  word  of  God. 

WOMEN   AND   THE  VATL. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  squalid  condition  of  the 
women  we  have  before  described,  and  the  debasing  influence 
of  their  condition  in  life,  the  middle  and  higher  classes  com- 
mand far  more  respect.  In  build  and  feature,  they  are  often 
models  of  beauty;  in  personal  habits,  tidy  and  circumspect. 
The  Egyptian  girl  is  a  woman  at  the  age  of  nine  or  ten,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  they  have  attained  their  highest 
degree  of  perfection.  Their  complexion  is  much  like  that  of 
the  men,  varying,  of  course,  by  the  degree  of  exposure  to  which 
they  are  subjected.  The  face  is  generally  oval,  in  some  instances 
quite  broad.  As  they  go  vailed,  a  face  is  seldom  seen.  The 
eyes  are  generally  black,  large,  shining  and  expressive,r  and  their 
effect  is  much  hightened  by  the  concealment  of  the  other  por- 
tions of  the  face.  The  vail  is  as  much  revered  among  the  wo- 
men as  the  turban  among  the  men.  This  article  of  dress  has  a 
date  of  high  antiquity,  for  we  read  of  it  as  long  ago  as  the  days 
of  Abraham,  but  it  seems  not  to  have  been  worn  among  the  an- 
cient Egyptians,  if  we  may  judge  from  their  sculptured  monu- 
ments. The  upper  part  and  back  of  the  head  are  the  first  ob- 
jects of  care,  then  the  face.  Most  of  them  deem  it  more  im- 
portant to  conceal  the  face  than  other  portions  of  the  body. 
If  a  poor  woman  has  no  vail,  she  will  often  lift  the  skirt  of  her 
scanty  dress  and.  cover  her  face  while  the  traveler  is  passing. 
Of  late,  the  constant  presence  of  unvailed  Frank  women  in 
their  cities,  is  already  making  some  inroads  upon  this  rigid  cus- 
tom of  the  Egyptian  ladies. 


84 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


The  walking- dress  of  the  genteel  class  is  certainly  unique, 
and  would  much  discomfit  our  modern  belles,  who  go  abroad 
not  only  to  see,  but  to  be  seen.  With  an  enormous  white  vail, 
reaching  from  the  top  of  the  nose  to  the  feet,  the  head  envel- 
oped in  an  immense  shawl,  and  over  all  a  large  flowing  robe  of 
black,  they  have  much  the  appearance  of  immense  walking 
bundles  of  black  silk,  a  good  representation  of  which  may  be 
seen  in  the  accompanying  engraving. 

THE   FIELD   OP  ZOAN. 

But  while  we  have  been  looking  at  these  mud  villages,  and 
examining  these  strange  costumes,  we  are  coming  in  sight  of  a 
portion  of  the  country  intimately  connected  with  the  sojourn 
of  the  Hebrews  in  this  land  of  their  captivity.  In  one  of  the 
Psalms  it  is  said,  "Marvelous  things  did  he  in  the  sight  of 
their  fathers  in  the  field  of  Zoan."  Cast  your  eye  over  the 
broad,  green  country  upon  our  left,  reaching  away  down  to- 
wards the  Mediterranean  behind  us,  and  stretching  many  miles 
to  the  eastward,  where  it  keeps  up  a  continual  warfare  with  the 
encroaching  sands  of  the  desert.  Here  was  Zoan,  called  also 
Goshen,  one  of  the  most  productive  portions  of  Egypt.  It  is 
said  to  have  received  its  name,  Goshen,  from  the  Arabic  word 
"  gush,"  signifying  a  heart,  or  whatever  is  choice  and  precious. 
The  boundaries  of  the  portion  of  the  land  thus  designated,  it  is 
impossible  now  to  tell;  it  must  have  been  at  least  one  hundred 
miles  in  length,  and  probably  about  the  same  in  breadth.  In 
addition  to  this  fertile  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  the  Is- 
raelites probably  occupied  a  wide  range  of  the  desert  country 
towards  the  Red  Sea  and  the  land  of  Canaan,  that  during  some 
portions  of  the  year  might  have  afforded  pasture  for  their  nu- 
merous flocks. 

CHANGES   THAT   HAVE   TAKEN  PLACE. 

This  part  of  the  country  has  undergone  such  changes  during 
the  last  three  thousand  years,  it  is  difficult  to  form  a  conception 
of  what  it  might  have  been  at  that  remote  period.  That  the 
fertile  land  was  much  more  extensive  than  now,  is  evident,  as 
there  has  been  a  great  failure  of  the  waters  of  the  eastern 


ladies'  walking  dress. 


JACOB'S    VISIT    TO  EGYPT. 


87 


branch  of  the  'Nile.  The  main  body  of  the  river  has  been 
crowding  more  and  more  to  the  westward,  and  the  channels  on 
that  side  have  deepened  as  the  eastern  have  diminished.  As 
the  isile  has  grown  less,  there  has  been  a  continual  augmenta- 
tion of  the  drift  sand-hills  along  the  plain,  and  much  land,  once 
productive  as  a  garden,  is  now  a  waste  and  cheerless  desert. 
This  same  encroachment  of  the  sands  is  seen  in  other  places  in 
Egypt.  Above  Eosetta,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Nile,  palm 
trees  are  now  standing,  fifty  to  sixty  feet  high,  nearly  buried  in 
the  sand. 

Here  were  Pharaoh's  pasture  grounds — here  the  family  of  the 
Hebrews  found  a  home.  As  I  strained  my  eyes  to  see  even  the 
farthest  portions  of  the  land,  I  recalled 

THE   STRANGE    STORY   OF   THEIR  BONDAGE. 

Jacob  had  hoped  to  live  and  die  in  Canaan.  He  came  to 
Hebron,  and  built  there  an  altar  and  offered  sacrifices  to  the 
God  of  his  fathers.  In  that  cave  upon  the  hill-side  rested  the 
ashes  of  his  noble  sires,  Abraham  and  Isaac;  there  had  been  bu- 
ried Sarah,  Eebecca,  and  his  own  wife,  Leah.  A  strange  train 
of  events  called  him  away  from  his  chosen  home.  As  I  looked 
out  in  the  direction  of  Hebron,  I  fancied  I  saw  the  venerable 
old  man  on  his  journey  to  this  land  of  strangers,  impelled  by 
the  famine  behind,  and  drawn  onward  by  the  strong  affection 
of  his  heart  for  an  idolized  son  whom  he  had  long  before  given 
up  as  dead.  How  cheering  and  sustaining  must  have  been  that 
promise  of  God,  "  I  am  the  God  of  thy  father.  Fear  not  to  go 
down  into  Egypt,  for  I  will  there  make  thee  a  great  nation, 
and  Joseph  shall  put  his  hand  upon  thine  eyes"    Gen.  xlvi.  3,  4. 

How  affecting  that  meeting  between  the  old  man  and  liis 
long-lost  son  !  Joseph  made  ready  his  chariot  and  went  up  to 
meet  him  in  Goshen  ;  "  and  he  fell  on  his  neck,  and  wept  on  his 
neck  a  good  while."  With  what  filial  affection  he  watched  over 
the  old  man's  infirm  and  trembling  age !  Nearly  a  century  and 
a  half  the  old  man  had  borne  the  burdens  and  cares  of  a  labo- 
rious and  eventful  life,  and  now  he  must  die.  He  called  his 
faithful  son  Joseph,  and  exacted  of  him  a  promise,  under  the 
solemnities  of  an  oath,  that  he  would  bury  him  with  his  fathers 


88 


EGY.PT    AND  SINAI. 


iii  the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  of  Macphelah  before  Mamre,  in 
the  land  of  Canaan,  which  Abraham  bought  from  Ephron  the 
Hittite.  The  reason  he  assigns  is  full  of  poetic  beauty  and 
melting  tenderness.  "  There  they  buried  Abraham  and  Sarah 
his  wife;  there  they  buried  Isaac  and  Eebecca  his  wife,  and 
there  I  buried  Leah."  The  last  blessing  was  given,  the  last 
expiring  sigh  escaped  the  cold,  pale  lips,  "  he  gathered  up  his 
feet  into  his  bed  and  yielded  up  the  ghost."  Then  it  was  that 
the  promise  was  fulfilled ;  Joseph  put  his  hand  upon  his  father's 
eyes  and  closed  them  in  death ;  then  also  he  fell  upon  that  rigid 
face,  and  wept  upon  it  and  kissed  it.  The  body  was  embalmed ; 
the  forty  days  of  mourning  were  ended,  and  Joseph  went  up 
out  of  Egypt  with  a  great  retinue  of  servants  and  nobles  of  the 
land,  and  chariots  and  horses,  redeemed  his  oath,  and  laid  his 
sire  in  the  sepulchre  of  his  fathers.  How  strange  it  seems  to 
be,  looking  out  upon  the  land  where  these  early  and  interest- 
ing incidents  of  sacred  history  transpired ! 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  a  strange  record,  the  wonderful 
events  of  which  we  shall  recall  as  we  stand  upon  the  site  of  the 
ancient  court  of  Pharaoh,  ride  over  the  waters  of  the  Eed  Sea, 
travel  in  the  wilderness,  climb  the  mount  of  God,  and  traverse 
the  Holy  Land, 

THE   DAYS    OF  ADVERSITY. 

Joseph  lived  one  hundred  and  twenty  years,  and  until  he 
saw  the  fourth  generation  of  his  children  growing  up  around 
him.  His  brethren  prospered  and  multiplied  exceedingly  in 
the  land.  At  last  Joseph  died,  and  all  his  brethren,  and  all 
that  generation;  and  now  commenced  the  afflictions  of  his  peo- 
ple. Our  best  friends  are  often  succeeded  by  our  bitterest  ene- 
mies, and  ingratitude  becomes  the  reward  of  our  best  services. 
Other  kings  arose,  and  Joseph  and  all  his  valuable  services 
were  forgotten,  and  Israel's  pleasant  refuge  was  made  a  place 
of  bitter  bondage.  Their  rapid  increase  was  only  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  promise  of  God,  made  hundreds  of  years  before  to 
Abraham,  that  he  would  make  of  him  a  great  nation,  and  his 
seed  should  be  as  the  stars  of  heaven  for  multitude;  but  this  in- 
crease provoked  the  jealousy  and  aroused  the  fears  of  their  ru- 


AFFLICTIONS    OF  ISRAEL. 


89 


lers.  The  king  said  unto  his  people,  "The  children  of  Israel 
are  more  and  mightier  than  we." 

Then  commenced  a  systematic  course  of  oppression.  They 
set  task-masters  over  them,  and  afflicted  them  with  grievous 
and  heavy  burdens;  they  made  them  build  great  treasure  cities 
— Pithom  and  Raamses ;  they  made  their  lives  bitter  with  hard 
bondage;  they  lu/ide  them  work  in  field  and  in  city,  and  in  all 
manner  of  brick.  How  we  are  reminded  of  this  as  we  pass 
along!  There  is  a  company  of  men  engaged  just  as  these  Isra- 
elites were  three  thousand  years  ago — a  pile  of  clay  upon  one 
side,  and  a  pile  of  straw,  chopped  and  broken  into  small  pieces, 
upon  the  other;  the  laborers  are  mixing  the  materials  in  due 
proportion  and  with  proper  care,  pressing  the  old-fashioned 
compound  into  the  requisite  shape,  and  laying  the  bricks  in  the 
sun  to  dry — an  old  art  handed  down  from  remote  ages,  awaking 
vivid  remembrance  of  Israel's  bondage  and  labor;  "they  made 
them  work  in  mortar  and  brick,"  and  at  last  denied  them  straw, 
and  sent  them  gleaning  about  the  fields,  yet  demanding  the 
full  count  of  bricks.  But  all  this  rigorous  oppression  signally 
failed  of  attaining  the  desired  end,  for  the  more  they  afflicted 
them,  the  more  they  grew  and  multiplied. 

Then  came  that  cruel  edict  for  the  destruction  of  their  chil- 
dren; and  the  earth,  that  had  been  watered  with  the  sweat  of 
their  toil,  echoed  with  the  lamentations  of  fathers  and  mothers 
for  the  slain  of  their  households.  But  there  was  an  eye  in 
heaven  to  witness,  an  ear  to  hear,  and  a  hand  to  record  and 
mete  out  justice.  "For  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  for  the 
sighing  of  the  needy,  now  will  I  arise,  saith  the  Lord."  And 
the  Lord  did  arise,  as  we  shall  have  occasion  to  see  in  our  visits 
to  other  portions  of  the  land.  Oppression  never  prospers.  He 
who  tramples  upon  human  rights,  sets  his  foot  upon  a  Divine 
creation,  and  the  recoil  will  assuredly  pierce  the  oppressor  with 
a  fatal  dart.  The  Lord  did  arise  in  a  strange  and  mysterious 
way;  his  people  were  delivered,  their  persecutors  punished, 
and  the  promises  made  to  their  ancestors  hundreds  of  years 
previous  fulfilled. 

We  have  made  our  story  long  enough — we  shall  learn  more  as 
we  proceed.    Look  out  of  the  car  window.    We  are  coming  to 


90 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


a  halt  right  in  one  of  these  Egyptian  villages.  Do  you  see  that 
long,  low  line  of  water  just  "by  the  side  of  us?    It  is 

THE  NILE. 

The  Nile !  The  Nile !  How  it  awakened  the  memory  of  a 
thousand  strange  and  interesting  events!  Can  the  most  stupid 
and  unimaginative  gaze  upon  it  for  the  first  jime  and  feel  no 
rising  of  enthusiasm?  A  river  that  has  a  place  in  history  by 
the  side  of  the  Euphrates  and  the  Jordan ;  for  thousands  of 
years  sending  out  a  living  flood  from  its  mysterious  and  hidden 
sources,  rolling  onward  through  this  great  valley,  and  emptying 
itself,  by  its  seven  mouths,,  into  the  great  blue  sea;  a  river 
which  runs  a  thousand  miles  without  receiving  a  single  tribu- 
tary; a  river  which  the  Egyptians  worshiped,  and  whose 
waters  by  the  rod  of  Moses  were  turned  into  blood ;  a  river  the 
great  size  of  which  astonished  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and 
the  annual  overflow  of  which  to  them  was  a  profound  mystery; 
a  river  the  waters  of  which  have  been  extolled  by  the  Egyp- 
tians above  all  others — of  which  the  Mussulman  says,  if  Mo- 
hammed had  tasted  its  waters,  he  would  have  prayed  heaven 
for  a  terrestrial  immortality,  that  he  might  continue  to  enjoy  it 
forever.  But,  enthusiasm  aside,  let. us  look  at  these  moving 
waters,  and  learn  something  of  this  river's 

CHARACTER   AND  HISTORY. 

Born  among  the  mountains  of  the  Moon,  and  cradled  in  the 
depths  of  their  mighty  caverns,  tearing  its  way  through  moun- 
tain barriers  and  granite  rocks,  dashing  down  cataracts,  lashed 
into  foam  by  narrows  and  rapids,  it  at  last  reaches  the  calmer, 
quiet  life  of  the  beautiful  plain,  and  goes  singing  onward  amid 
perpetual  sunshine,  scattering  its  blessings  with  a  lavish  hand, 
until  it  is  sepulchered  in  its  great  ocean  tomb. 

Egypt  is  a  desert-girt  land,  and  ranges  of  barren  mountains 
lock  it  in.  On  the  east  are  the  deserts  of  Arabia.  South  and 
west  the  vast  expanse  of  the  Lybian  sands  stretch  away  into 
the  unknown  interior  of  Africa.  These  immense  wastes  of 
sandy  plains  and  rocky  hills  gather  no  clouds  of  moisture  to 
distill  in  fertilizing  showers  on  the  valleys  of  Egypt.  Rain 


WONDEKS    OF    THE  NILE. 


sometimes  falls  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Mediterranean, 
but  very  seldom  in  other  parts  of  the  land.  Daring  the  spring 
and  early  summer  season,  the  region  of  country  south  of  17°, 
about  the  sources  of  the  Sale,  are  inundated  with  copious  rains. 
These  waters  are  collected  by  the  river  and  brought  down  as 
by  a  mighty  aqueduct  to  the  plains  below.  Thus  the  fertility 
of  Egypt  is  made  to  depend  entirely  upon  the  waters  of  the 
"Nile.  What  a  strange  provision  the  beneficent  Creator  has 
thus  made  for  them !    This  result  is  accomplished  by  its 

ANNUAL  OVERFLOW. 

The  rise  of  the  waters  begin  the  latter  part  of  June,  or  just 
about  the  time  of  the  summer  solstice.  The  first  indication  is 
a  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  waters — they  become  red 
and  turbid.  About  the  middle  of  July  they  burst  the  barrier 
of  shore  and  banks,  and  spread  themselves  over  the  land,  till 
the  country  looks  like  a  great  inland  sea,  dotted  here  and  there 
by  villages  and  towns.  The  latter  part  of  September,  the 
waters  begin  to  subside,  and  by  the  end  of  November  the  banks 
hold  in  check  the  swollen  stream.  The  rise  is  about  four 
inches  a  day,  and  the  decline  at  about  the  same  rate.  These 
annual  inundations  leave  a  rich  alluvial  deposit,  brought  down 
from  the  upper  country,  and  from  the  fertile  plains  of  Abys- 
sinia. The  great  heat  of  the  climate,  operating  on  these  fertil- 
izing deposits,  produces  a  most  luxuriant  vegetation. 

It  is  said  a  rise  of  twenty-four  feet  in  the  time  of  Herodotus, 
was  considered  sufficient  to  secure  a  fruitful  season.  The  con- 
tinual deposit  of  the  slime  and  mud  for  thousands  of  years  has 
considerably  elevated  the  soil.  A  rise  of  thirty-three  feet  is 
now  said  to  be  necessary  to  sufficiently  inundate  the  land.  In 
1829,  a  rise  of  nearly  forty  feet  produced  great  destruction 
among  the  villages,  both  of  lives  and  property.  Passing 
through  this  country  as  the  waters  are  subsiding,  you  may  still 
have  a  striking  illustration  of 

A.  BEAUTIFUL   PASSAGE   OF  SCRIPTURE. 

Upon  a  shallow  pond  of  thick,  muddy  water,  you  may  see  a 
husbandman  casting  handful  after  handful  ot  seed.    "  What  a 


92 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


waste!"  you  say.  " Better  feed  it  to  his  lean  and  famishing 
cattle."  Wait  and  see.  The  scattered  seed  mingles  with  the 
dark,  turbid  waters,  settles  down,  and  is  buried  in  the  new, 
rich  strata  of  earth,  and — "  is  lost !  "  No,  no !  The  warm  sun 
shines  upon  it;  it  shoots  up  into  healthy,  vigorous  growth,  and 
by  and  by  the  laborer  comes  with  his  sickle,  and  as  he  fills  his 
bosom  with  the  golden  sheaves,  rejoicing  in  the  abundance  of 
the  harvest,  he  sings,  "  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  and 
thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days." 

But  we  must  take  our  leave  of  the  Nile.  Flow  on,  thou 
wonderful  and  majestic  stream!  Thyself  the  same,  what 
changes  thou  hast  seen !  Thebes,  with  its  hundred  gates,  and 
Memphis,  with  its  temples  and  monuments,  have  perished  upon 
thy  banks.  Thou  hast  seen  thy  country  the  prey  of  -Ethiopian 
and  Persian,  Macedonian  and  Roman,  Saracen  and  Turk. 
Thou  hast  been  witness  of  the  afflictions  of  Israel,  and  of  the  as- 
tounding miracles  of  their  deliverance.  Still,  calm  and  undis- 
turbed, thy  waters  roll,  and  thou  art  now  the  witness  how  the 
curse  has  settled  down  upon  thy  land.  Degeneration  has  crept 
over  it,  darkness  has  overshadowed  it,  and  God  has  re-written 
the  sentence  recorded  in  His  Great  Book  by  the  hand  of  Eze- 
kiel :  "  It  shall  be  the  basest  of  kingdoms,  neither  shall  it  exalt 
itself  any  more  among  the  nations.  Her  power  shall  come 
down.  *  *  *  I  will  make  the  land  waste  and  all  that  is 
therein,  by  the  hand  of  strangers.    I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it." 


PYRAMIDS    I N    THE  DISTANCE. 


93 


CHAPTER  VII. 

First  View  op  the  Pyramids — Arrival  at  Grand  Cairo — 
Sights  and  Scenes  of  the  City. 

Our  fiery  steed  bounds  onward — over  the  Nile  we  go  on  a 
beautiful  stone  bridge,  the  workmanship  of  which  is  not  ex- 
celled in  any  part  of  the  world.  Now  we  are  straining  our 
eyes  to  catch  a  first  glimpse  of  the  minarets  of  Cairo.  See ! 
There  they  are;  and  the  walls  and  higher  portions  of  the  cita- 
del can  be  distinguished.  Now  turn  your  eye  to  the  right,  and 
look  away  across  the  plain  yonder.  Do  you  see  two  or  three 
dark  looking  objects  rising  up  directly  from  the  immense  pla- 
teau ?  They  are  the  pyramids !  "  The  pyramids !  "What,  those 
great  haystacks?"  Precisely  such  would  be  the  first  impression 
upon  almost  every  mind.  Unconscious  of  the  great  distance 
that  intervenes,  some  fifteen  to  twenty  miles,  you  see  these 
mighty  wonders  of  the  world,  Cheops  and  Cephrenes,  looking 
like  nothing  else  but  a  couple  of  great  haystacks  in  a  farmer's 
meadow  in  a  hazy  autumn  clay.  But  distance  here  lends  no 
enchantment  to  the  view.  These  impressions  of  diminutive- 
ness  will  all  be  dissipated  when  we  come  to  stand  by  their  side, 
or  climb  their  lofty  summits. 

ARRIVAL   AT  CAIRO. 

At  4  o'clock  p.  m.  we  came  to  a  halt  in  the  depot  of  Grand 
Cairo.  I  knew  my  hotel,  but  had  some  anxieties  as  to  how  I 
should  reach  it,  for  I  dreaded  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  saucy  don- 
key boys  and  importunate  porters.  Nerving  myself  for  a  spe- 
cial act  in  some  lively  scene,  I  landed  on  the  platform,  amid  the 
strangest  crowd  of  human  beings  I  had  ever  seen  congregated. 
There  was  the  dignified  Turkish  official,  with  his  great  loose 
sleeves  and  flowing  robes,  gold-hilted  sword  and  turbaned  head ; 


94 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


half-naked  donkey  boys ;  loathsome  looking  beggars ;  wretched 
women  and  squalid  children.  I  had  scarcely  time  to  glance  at 
the  odd  looking  crowd  about  me,  when  a  man  in  English  cos- 
tume and  genuine  English  accent  addressed  ma:  "  Shepherd's 
hotel,  sir?"  u  Yes,  sir."  "All  right,  omnibus  just  here;  take 
yon  right  up,  sir."  In  ten  minutes  I  was  snugly  housed  in  a 
good  hotel,  with  European  fixtures  and  comforts  all  about  me. 
The  house  I  found  to  be  entirely  under  English  management, 
and  much  better  kept  than  the  one  I  have  described  at  Alexan- 
dria. It  is  a  spacious  house,  built  in  oriental  style,  with  a  large 
open  court  and  garden  in  the  centre ;  the  terms,  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  a  day  for  room,  board,  lodging,  lights,  etc. 

On  being  ushered  into  the  dining-room,  I  was  surprised  to 
find  myself  in  the  company  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  English  and 
American  ladies  and  gentlemen.  The  table  was  set  in  home- 
like style;  both  it  and  the  victuals  betokened  the  abode  of  civ- 
ilization. Eamiliar  looking  countenances  were  about  me,  a  fa- 
miliar language  was  spoken,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  long- 
robed,  swarthy-faced,  turban-headed  waiters,  the  Arabic  words 
they  exchanged,  and  the  occasional  call,  Achmed!  Hassan! 
Mohammed!  there  would  have  been  nothing  to  remind  me 
that  I  was  in  the  Orient. 

THE    COMPANY   I    SAW  THERE. 

At  one  end  of  the  table  was  a  party  of  gentlemen  and  ladies, 
ten  in  number,  from  New  York,  just  returned  from  a  voyage 
up  the  Nile;  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table  was  a  party  of 
military  gentlemen,  from  the  United  States  ship-of-war  Susque- 
hanna, then  lying  in  the  harbor  at  Alexandria.  By  my  side 
was  an  American  gentleman,  just  returned  from  an  excursion 
up  the  Nile.  The  United  States  Vice  Consul  at  Alexandria, 
wishing  to  make  the  voyage,  the  Viceroy  had  kindly  placed  at 
his  disposal  a  small  steamer  he  keeps  upon  these  waters,  in 
which  the  journey  was  performed,  my  informant  acting  as  the 
consul's  secretary.  He  informed  me  there  were  at  the  present 
time  at  least  sixty  boats  with  pleasure  parties  up  the  Nile,  of 
which  one  half  at  least  were  Americans.  But  these  pleasure 
excursions  are  not  always  attended  with  cloudless  skies.  Affiic- 


AFFLICTIVE  EVENTS. 


95 


tions  and  sorrows  steal  along  life's  rosiest  paths.  At  the  falls 
above  Thebes,  a  young  gentleman  from  an  English  party  in- 
sisted upon  swimming  the  rapids,  a  feat  sometimes  performed  ■ 
by  the'  Arabs.  All  warnings  were  in  vain,  and  even  the  at- 
tempt of  the  Arabs  to  hold  him  was  resisted ;  he  leaped  in, 
and  almost  instantly  disappeared  in  the  foaming  waters.  When 
the  consul's  boat  left,  they  had  been  three  days  in  an  unsuc- 
cessful search  for  the  body.  A  young  lady  of  another  party 
was  taken  sick  and  died  at  Thebes.  The  warmth  of  the  cli- 
mate compelled  them  to  bury  her  there,  and  the  sorrow-stricken 
parents  laid  the  loved  form  under  the  shadow  of  those  gigantic 
ruins  to  rest  amid  their  solitude  and  silence. 

Here  also  I  met  with  a  gentleman  from  Philadelphia,  just  ar- 
rived from  Palestine,  who  gave  me  much  valuable  information 
to  aid  me  in  my  contemplated  tour.  He  also  gave  me  a  graphic 
account  of  the  robbery  of  himself  and  friend  by  the  Moabite 
Arabs,  in  his  excursion  to  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea.  They  did 
not  fare  quite  as  roughly  as  the  man  in  the  parable,  for  they 
were  not  wormded  and  left  half  dead,  but  they  were  stripped 
of  their  raiment,  and  left  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  back  to 
Jerusalem.  I  learned  from  this  that  eighteen  hundred  years 
have  not  materially  improved  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Jeri- 
cho, and  I  was  admonished  to  be  cautious  when  I  made  my  visit 
to  those  localities.  I  was  surprised  to  find  so  many  English 
and  American  travelers  here,  and  at  once  felt  myself  quite  at 
home.    A  night's  rest  and  we  will  take  a  walk  about  the  place. 

THE    HISTORY    OF    THE  CITY. 

February  lhth  The  land  I  left  is  now  fast  bound  in  the  icy 
fetters  of  winter.  There  the  biting  frosts,  driving  sleets  and 
drifting  snows  rule  the  changing  year;  here  the  glory  and 
beauty  of  summer  are  on  the  landscape.  The  sun  is  shining  in 
the  heavens,  and  the  birds  are  filling  the  groves  with  their 
strange  enchanting  music.  We  were  to  have  a  walk  about  the 
streets  of  Grand  Cairo. 

This  is  not  one  of  the  ancient  cities  of  the  land.  Hoary 
with  age  it  would  indeed  be,  by  the  side  of  our  fresh  American 
towns,  but  by  the  side  of  Karnac,  Thebes  and  Memphis,  it  is  a 


96 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


mere  child ;  and  in  one  sense,  these  old  towns  are  its  mother, 
for  they  have  poured  in  liberal  contributions  from  their  ruins 
to  aid  in  its  erection.  It  was  founded  by  Aboo  Tummin,  a  vic- 
torious conqueror,  who  invaded  Egypt  from  Tunis  about  A.  D. 
970.  It  was  called  Misr  El  Kahira  (victorious),  which  name,  it 
is  said,  the  Italians  corrupted  into  Cairo.  The  city  is  of  an  ir- 
regular form,  about  two  miles  in  length,  and  a  little  more  than 
one  in  breadth,  and  is  now  surrounded  by  a  substantial  stone 
wall,  built  by  Saladin.  The  population  is  estimated  at  about 
three  hundred  thousand.  "But  how,"  you  ask,  "can  such  a 
number  find  a  home  on  so  small  a  territory?"  Come  here  and 
see  how  they  live — how  narrow  their  streets  are — how  closely 
their  houses  are  packed  together — how  many  of  them  live  in 
the  streets.  "What  a  place  it  would  be — has  been — for  plague 
and  pestilence  to  hold  a  carnival !  Take  the  road  along  this 
shady  avenue.    This  is 

THE  EZBEKIEH, 

A  public  square,  or  city  park,  and  is  to  Cairo  what  the 
Champs  Elysees  is  to  Paris.  It  is  a  beautiful  plat  of  ground, 
checkered  with  walks,  and  covered  with  ornamental  trees.  Here 
citizens  of  all  classes  congregate  beneath  the  inviting  shade; 
here  are  numerous  booths,  stalls  and  drinking-houses,  and  every 
evening  bands  of  music  regale  the  listening  ear.  On  the  west 
of  this  park  is  the  palace  of  the  late  Mohammed  Bey,  in  the 
garden  of  which  the  unfortunate  Kleber  was  assassinated;  on 
another  side  of  it  are  the  houses  of  the  Copt  quarter,  while 
here  and  there  the  office  of  a  consul  or  the  front  of  a  large 
hotel  is  seen. 

THE    CLIMATE    OF  EGYPT. 

They  have  but  two  seasons,  spring,  corresponding  to  our  win-  s 
ter,  and  summer,  lasting  from  April  to  November.  During  the 
summer  season,  they  have  a  beautiful,  clear  sky,  but  the  weath- 
er is  often  so  very  oppressive  they  are  compelled  to  resort  to 
every  artifice  to  protect  themselves  from  the  scorching  sun. 
IsTo  country  in  the  world  presents  a  more  salubrious  climate 
than  Egypt  during  these  spring  months.    Week  after  week-, 


A    SALUBRIOUS  CLIMATE. 


97 


days  come  and  go,  bringing  a  clear,  cloudless  sky  and  joyous 
sunshine.  The  atmosphere  is  dry,  the  nights  cool  and  invigor- 
ating. If  you  wish  to  leave  your  home  for  an  excursion, 
you  have  no  fear  of  being  drenched  in  a  shower,  and  the  only 
use  you  have  for  an  umbrella  is  to  screen  you  from  the  rays  of 
the  midday  sun.  Thus  a  large  portion  of  the  year  is  undescrib- 
ably  pleasant.  The  evenings  are  enchanting.  There  is  a  sin- 
gular depth  and  hardness  in  the  clear,  blue  sky  that  stretches 
above  you.  The  moon  looks  down  from  those  ethereal  depths 
with  unvailed  splendor,  robing  the  landscape  with  a  bright  and 
silvery  whiteness.  Planets  and  constellations  walk  the  sky  in 
dignity  and  majesty,  looking  out  from  their  deep  hiding  places 
like  radiant  gems  of  beauty  and  glory.  No  wonder  the  ancient 
Egyptians  were  astronomers.  They  would  have  watched  the 
stars  from  the  very  love  of  looking  into  those  enchanting  blue 
depths.    But  here  we  are  in  the 

STREETS   OF   THE  CITY. 

Cairo  is  a  pure  Arab  city.  I  am  told  they  have  no  other  city 
in  the  world  so  unmixed  and  free  from  foreign  adulterations  as 
this.  The  streets  are  numerous,  narrow  and  crooked,  there 
being  but  one  in  the  business  part  of  the  town  wide  enough 
for  carriages ;  this  is  the  Muskay,  a  great  public  thoroughfare, 
having  the  enormous  width  of  thirty-two  feet;  many  of  the 
others  are  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  feet.  The  houses  are  of 
very  peculiar  construction;  the  upper  stories  projecting  over 
the  lower  ones,  and  the  large,  prominent  windows,  many  of 
them  with  elegant,  carved  lattice  work,  projecting  still  beyond 
the  houses.  Thus  the  windows  of  the  upper  stories  are  brought 
so  near  together  you  could  easily  step  from  one  into  the  other. 
These  narrow  streets  and  projecting  rooms  serve  to  protect  the 
inhabitants  from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  during  their 
long,  cloudless  summers.    But  here  are 

THE  BAZARS. 

These  are  the  principal  market  places,  where  all  sorts  of  mer- 
chandise is  bought  and  sold.  The  word  is  purely  Arabic,  and 
denotes  sale  or  exchange.    Some  of  these  seem  to  extend  along 


98 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


whole  streets,  often  covered  over  by  laying  poles  across  from 
house  to  house,  and  spreading  mats  or  reeds  upon  them.  Dif- 
ferent portions  of  the  bazars  are  appropriated  to  different 
classes  of  goods.  In  one  place,  almonds,  figs,  and  various  kinds 
of  dried  fruits;  in  another,  cotton  and  woolen  goods,  beds  and 
cushions;  here  you  will  meet  with  a  row  of  merchants  who 
can  furnish  you  silk  cord,  gold  lace  and  kindred  articles ;  there, 
otto  of  rose  and  various  perfumes. 

These  bazars  are  usually  very  busy  places,  and  are  thronged 
by  multitudes  of  people.  Through  these  narrow  avenues  there 
is  constantly  flowing  a  mixed  and  motley  multitude.  Here  are 
camels,  horses,  donkeys,  men,  women  and  children,  commingled 
in  strange  confusion,  while  the  noise  and  bustle,  the  pushing 
and  scrambling,  the  screaming  and  gesticulating,  present  a  wild 
and  unique  scene  that  can  be  no  where  witnessed  but  in  an 
Arabic  city. 

VARIETY    OF  COSTUMES. 

Amid  the  strange  medley  and  wild  confusion  we  have  de- 
scribed, may  be  seen  a  great  variety  of  oriental  costumes.  * 
Here  turbaned  heads  predominate — the  black  one  of  the  Copt, 
the  dark  blue  one  of  the  Jew,  the  green  and  white  of  the  Mos- 
lem, are  mingled  in  strange  variety.  There  moves  a  lordly 
Turk,  with  all  the  dignity  and  gravity  of  his  nation.  There  is 
the  swarthy-skinned,  half-naked  fellah,  and  the  grandee,  with  his 
rich,  flowing  robe  of  silk  and  lace — and  one  of  these  gentlemen, 
in  full  costume,  certainly  presents  a  very  respectable  appear- 
ance, though  his  dress  is  far  more  ornamental  than  convenient. 
There  is  a  bare-faced,  half-dressed,  toil-worn,  country-woman, 
with  frightful  looking  tattooed  lips,  and  by  her  side  the  digni- 
fied city  matron,  with  long,  close  vail,  all  enveloped  in  an  enor- 
mous loose  robe  of  black  silk.  Now  you  meet  an  elegant 
Mamaluke  dress  of  richly  broidered  cloth,  and  anon  you  are 
peering  into  the  wild,  black,  flashing  eyes  of  a  genuine  Bedawin 
just  from  the  desert,  with  his  head  and  shoulders  enveloped  in 
a  strange  costume,  half  bonnet  and  half  turban.  The  Frank 
dress  has  become  quite  common  here.    I  moved  among  these 


• 


HOW    THEY    EIDE    IN  CAIKO. 


101 


varied  costumes  with  my  gray  frock  coat  and  tall  bell-crowned 
hat  without  exciting  any  special  attention. 

THE   STRANGE   MODES   OF  RIDING 

At  once  attract  the  attention  of  the  foreigner.  Though  the 
streets  are  so  narrow  as  to  prevent  the  use  of  carriages,  no  one 
goes  on  foot  who  can  afford  to  ride.  Occasionally,  a  horse  may 
be.  seen,  and  now  and  then  a  camel,  bearing  a  bedawin  or  a  fel- 
lah, almost  blocking  up  the  street,  and  pushing  the  crowd  right 
and  left;  but  these  large  animals  are  not  adapted  to  these 
crowded  thoroughfares.  And  now  may  be  seen  the  great  con- 
venience of  the  little  Egyptian  donkey,  so  small  that  the  mass 
of  human  beings  have  nothing  to  fear  from  him.  He  carries  his 
burden  of  living  freight  or  merchandise,  picking  his  way 
through  the  crowd  with  all  the  gravity  of  a  Turk,  and  precision 
of  a  mathematician.  Sometimes  clashing  along  under  a  full 
canter,  you  see  him  driving  square  against  a  woman  with  a 
huge  water-pot  upon  her  head,  and  just  as  you  look  to  see  the 
burden  rolling  in  the  dust  from  the  force  of  the  collision,  the 
cautious  little  animal  is  sure  to  miss  the  mark,  and  slip  by 
without  even  jostling  the  well  poised  burden/ 

The  riding  of  the  grandees  and  Turkish  officials  is  an  impos- 
ing ceremony,  and  calculated  to  impress  the  vulgar  rabble  with 
the  dignity  of  their  station.  On  horseback,  if  it  is  a  crowded 
street,  but  most  commonly  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ezbekieh,  or 
suburbs  of  the  town,  where  carriages  can  be  used,  the  ceremo- 
nial parade  takes  place. 

Visitors  here  a  few  years  ago  gave  ludicrous  descriptions  of 
the  antique  appearance  of  these  carriages,  which  looked,  it  is 
said,  as  though  they  might  have  been  imported  from  some  mu- 
seum of  English  or  French  antiquities.  If  so,  recent  inter- 
course with  European  nations  has  done  much  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  taste  and  improve  the  style,  for  I  saw  some  fine 
carriages,  and  more  beautiful  horses  no  one  would  wish  to  ride 
after ;  but  these  are  few  in  number,  and  usually  belong  to  state 
dignitaries. 

When  any  of  these  officials  wish  to  take  an  airing,  or  go 
out  on  business,  dressed  in  robes  of  state,  chariot  and  steeds 


102  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

richly  caparisoned,  a  liveried  driver  hold  of  the  reins,  and  i 
footman,  with  a  long  white  skirt  and  great  turban,  behind,  they 
go  rolling  along  with  the  dignity  of  a  king.  But  what  is  most 
peculiar,  a  runner  in  Turkish  costume,  bearing  a  sword  or  staff 
of  state,  runs  constantly  two  or  three  rods  before  the  carriage, 
calling  out  for  the  way  to  be  cleared,  and  thrusting  any  careless 
loungers  right  and  left  as  unceremoniously  as  though  they  were 
so  many  swine.  It  is  astonishing  what  speed  and  power  of  en- 
durance these  runners  have,  keeping  their  distance  before  the 
carriage  even  when  the  horses  are  in  a  fleet  canter.  The  ladies 
usually  ride  the  donkey ;  the  custom  is  to  ride  astride,  and  the 
ample  folds  of  their  long  vails  and  loose  robes  almost  hide  the 
little  animals  from  sight,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  accompanying 
engraving. 

THE    SLAVE  MARKET 

Was  formerly  a  place  of  such  novelty,  and  exhibited  a  varie- 
ty of  such  strange  scenes,  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  visitors. 
This  market,  thanks  to  the  reign  of  a  humane  policy,  no  lon- 
ger exists.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  importance  and 
necessity  of  slavery  in  more  civilized  portions  of  the  world, 
Egypt,  dark  and  barbarous  as  it  may  be,  has  thought  best  to 
dispense  with  it.  Said  Pasha,  the  present  Viceroy,  put  a  stop 
to  the  unnatural  traffic  in  human  flesh.  No  more  persons  are 
sold  into  bondage,  and  a  system  of  measures  has  been  insti- 
tuted by  which  involuntary  bondage  will  ultimately  cease  in 
the  land. 

THINGS   IN    THE  CITY. 

Cairo  has  a  few  substantial  houses,  well  built,  and  compara- 
tively clean  and  comfortable ;  but  the  most  of  the  city  is  one 
vast  mass  of  dfrt  and  rubbish.  The  narrow  streets  we  have 
described,  are  so  crooked  you  can  scarcely  see  ten  rods  in  any 
direction.  On  these  narrow,  crooked  streets,  the  shops  and 
bazars  are  located.  These  shops  are  little  dens  or  cubby  holes 
in  the  sides  of  the  buildings — little  recesses,  from  four  to  eight 
feet  deep,  without  windows;  they  are  closed  with  a  kind  of  fold- 
ing doors,  occupying  the  whole  front,  which  are  thrown  open 


CUKIOUS  CUSTOMS. 


105 


during  trade  boars,  and  here  the  occupants  sit,  sell,  trade,  work 
and  carry  on  almost  every  conceivable  kind  of  business. 

In  one  of  these  places  you  see  a  dry  goods  merchant,  with 
all  his  stock  stored  in  a  little  space  not  more  than  six  or  eight 
feet  square.  The  floor  is  elevated  one  or  two  steps  above  the 
street,  and  the  tradesman,  sits  behind  a  little  bench  or  counter, 
that  serves  also  as  a  kind  of  barricade  to  keep  him  in  and  all 
others  out.  There  you  will  see  a  blacksmith  with  his  bellows, 
anvil  and  a  whole  kit  of  tools  in  about  the  same  space,  himself 
sitting  cross-legged  in  the  dirt,  working  away  with  as  much 
complacency  and  contentment  as  though  he  were  lord  of  a  lo- 
comotive factory ;  then  a  money-changer,  with  his  little  board 
of  coin,  a  pair  of  scales  to  weigh  his  gold  and  silver,  and  an 
iron  safe  that  nearly  fills  his  whole  room ;  next  a  scribe,  with 
his  table,  pen,  ink  and  paper,  ready  to  exercise  his  professional 
abilities  on  any  contract  his  neighbors  may  call  for. 

Of  course,  people  are  not  expected  to  come  into  these  shops. 
They  stand  at  the  open  front,  and  all  the  business  is  done  in 
the  streets.  Every  one  sits  down;  the  merchant  sits  at  his 
shop-board,  the  mechanic  at  his  work.  It  would  be  too  labo- 
rious a  business  for  this  indolent  people  to  stand  up.  It  is 
amusing  to  see  what  ingenuity  they  exercise  in  getting  every 
thing — merchandise,  tools  and  materials — within  their  reach, 
that  they  may  not  be  under  the  necessity  of  changing  their 
position. 

Besides  the  shop-merchants,  large  numbers  of  men,  women 
and  boys  parade  themselves  along  the  narrow  streets  with 
baskets  of  dates,  lemons,  oranges  and  other  kinds  of  fruit  and 
vegetables.  The  swarming  multitudes  of  the  city  seem  to  live 
almost  entirely  in  the  streets.  The  shops  I  have  described, 
apparently  form  the  outside  or  rear  part  of  their  dwellings. 
Passing  in  at  some  narrow  opening,  you  will  find  an  open  court, 
around  which  the  rooms  of  their  dwelling-houses  are  arranged. 
These  are  sometimes  large,  airy  and  clean;  but  the  greater 
part  of  their  houses  are  mere  mud  walls  of  unburnt  bricks, 
most  of  them  two  and  three  stories  high,  with  flat  roofs.  The 
people  are  compelled  to  do  almost  entirely  without  boards  or 
lumber  of  any  kind.    Their  floors  are  stone  or  clay,  and  having 


106 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


no  wooden  ceilings  for  the  protection  of  the  walls,  they  are 
constantly  crumbling  and  scattering  their  dirt  every  where. 
Nor  does  this  seem  at  all  to  discommode  the  people.  The  low- 
er or  ground  floor  of  their  houses  is  seldom  occupied.  Nearly 
all  the  families  live  up  stairs.  The  lower  parts  of  the  houses 
are  given  up  to  camels,  donkeys,  chickens,  dogs  and  fleas. 

We  have  before  spoken  of  the  miserable  mode  of  life  among 
the  villagers.  The  poor  of  this  great  metropolis  seem  to  fare  no 
better;  they  sit  in  the  dirt  during  the  day,  and  lie  down  amid 
filth,  dirt  and  fleas  during  the  night.  Egypt  has  many  attrac- 
tions, in  its  fine  climate,  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  and  more  than 
all,  in  its  monuments  and  historic  associations;  but  the  charac- 
ter of  its  inhabitants  is  the  negative  pole  of  the  magnet,  that 
repels  rather  than  attracts.  Strange,  that  this  beautiful  coun- 
try, so  green  and  fertile,  bringing  forth  almost  spontaneously 
all  that  human  nature  can  crave,  should  be  given  up  to  the 
possession  of  so  miserable  and  worthless  a  race  of  people.  But 
while  absorbed  in  these  strange  sights  and  scenes,  the  attention 
is  suddenly  arrested  by  the  sound  of  music.  A  crowd  of  peo- 
ple are  approaching.  Stand  a  few  moments  under  the  shelter 
of  this  doorway  and  you  will  see 

»  A   MARRIAGE  PROCESSION. 

The  preliminaries,  which  are  many,  have  all  been  arranged, 
the  contract  completed,  the  dower  paid,  and  now  they  are  con- 
ducting the  bride  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony  to  her  future 
home,  where  the  bridegroom  is  waiting  for  her.  These  proces- 
sions are  differently  formed  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  parties,  and 
the  wealth  and  display  is  graded  by  the  ability  of  the  parties 
to  defray  the  expense.  The  bride  is  generally  preceded  by 
some  of  her  married  friends,  who  are  enveloped  from  head  to 
foot  in  the  great  black  silk  robe  before  described.  She  walks 
under  a  canopy  of  silk,  generally  of  some  bright,  gay  color, 
carried  by  four  men,  by  means  of  a  pole  at  each  corner.  It  is 
completely  closed  up  on  three  sides  but  open  in  front.  It  is 
said  she  is  generally  richly  dressed,  but  her  rich  clothing  and 
jewelry  are  all  concealed,  for  she  is  completely  covered  from 
head  to  foot,  generally  with  a  great  cashmere  shawl,  so  that  no 


SCENES    IX  CAIRO. 


107 


part  of  her  person  can  be  seen.  Two  female  friends  walk  with 
her  under  the  canopy,  one  upon  each  side,  while  the  procession 
is  headed  by  a  band  of  music — flutes,  pipes,  tambourines,  and 
sometimes  a  kind  of  Arabic  dram,  beaten  with  the  hands.  The 
harmony  of  this  music  is  terrible,  and  is  sometimes  accompa- 
nied by  singing,  clapping  of  hands,  and  various  other  strange 
demonstrations.  Sometimes  wrestlers  and  swordsmen  go  be- 
fore, and  entertain  the  crowd  with  various  gymnastic  feats  and 
mock  battles.  For  the  sake  of  display,  the  procession  general- 
ly takes  a  circuitous  route,  traversing  several  prominent  streets 
of  the  city.  The  bride  wears  a  sort  of  paper  crown,  and  if 
wealthy,  a  costly  circlet  of  diamonds  and  gold  may  be  seen 
over  the  cumbrous  muffling  of  silk  and  cashmere  that  envel- 
ops her.  Connected  with  these  processions,  may  often  be  seen 
another  pompous  display.    It  is  the  celebration  of  the 

RITE   OF  CIRCUMCISION. 

Between  the  music  and  the  bridal  canopy,  a  richly  capari- 
soned horse  carries  a  small  boy,  most  gaily  bedecked  with  gold 
and  silver  tinsel  and  jewelry.  His  hair  is  elaborately  plaited, 
and  sparkles  with  golden  coins  and  gems.  He  carries  in  one 
hand  a  richly  embroidered  handkerchief,  which  most  of  the 
time  he  holds  to  his  face,  while  two  male  relatives  walk  one  on 
each  side  to  support  him.  Other  members  of  the  family  and 
friends  join  in  the  procession.  This  display  and  parading  of 
children  in  connection  with  marriage  processions,  is  resorted  to 
by  poorer  families,  who  have  not  the  means  of  gratifying  their 
pride  by  creating  a  sufficiently  pompous  procession  in  any  other 
way. 

This  rite  of  circumcision  has  continued  in  practice  among  all 
the  Arab  tribes  since  the  days  of  their  great  progenitor,  Abra- 
ham, from  whom  it  was  received.  The  law  enjoining  it  was 
re-enacted  by  Mohammed,  and  is  one  of  the  indispensable  cer- 
emonies of  his  religion.  Children  here  are  generally  circum- 
cised at  the  age  of  about  five  or  six  years,  and  among  the 
wealthy  classes  the  performance  of  the  rite  is  often  attended 
by  a  splendid  display  of  wealth  and  ceremony,  little  inferior  to 
those  of  wedding  occasions. 
7 


108  EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


In  these  bridal  processions,  especially  among  the  wealthy, 
many  straDge  and  often  astonishing  feats  are  performed.  There 
seems  to  be  a  great  desire,  on  the  part  of  the  family,  to  make 
the  occasion  a  memorable  and  distinguished  one;  therefore, 
any  one  who  can  perform  some  extraordinary  feat  for  the 
amusement  of  the  spectators,  is  not  only  welcomed  to  the 
crowd,  but  is  often  rewarded  with  a  handsome  present.  Lane 
mentions  two  noted  incidents  he  says  he  had  from  eye  wit- 
nesses : 

When  the  Seyyid  Omar,  chief  of  the  descendants  of  the 
Prophet,  made  a  marriage  for  his  daughter,  a  young  man  walked 
in  front  of  the  procession,  who  had  made  an  incision  in  his 
abdomen,  and  drawn  out  a  portion  of  his  intestines,  which  he 
carried  before  him  on  a  silver  tray.  The  procession  over,  he 
restored  them  to  their  proper  place,  and  kept  his  bed  many 
days  before  he  recovered  from  this  foolish  and  disgusting  act. 
On  the  same  occasion,  another  man  ran  a  sword  through  his 
arm,  for  the  amusement  of  a  crowd  of  spectators.  In  this  po- 
sition he  left  the  sword  for  a  long  time,  until  several  handker- 
chiefs were  soaked  in  the  blood. 

The  same  author  was  also  an  eye  witness  of  a  herculean  task 
of  a  water-carrier,  a  common  feat,  and  often  witnessed.  One 
of  these  water-carriers,  for  the  sake  of  a  present,  and  the  fame 
he  acquires,  carries  a  water-skin  filled  with  sand  and  water,  of 
a  greater  weight  and  for  a  longer  period  than  any  one  else  will 
consent  to  do.  This  must  be  accomplished  without  ever  laying 
down  the  load,  or  even  sitting  down,  except  in  a  crouching  po- 
sition, with  the  burden  still  upon  the  back.  In  the  case  he  wit- 
nessed, the  carrier  took  up  his  burden,  a  skin  of  sand  and  water 
weighing  about  two  hundred  pounds,  bore  it  the  whole  night, 
and  all  the  ensuing  day,  before  and  during  the  procession,  and 
did  not  lay  it  down  until  sunset  of  the  second  day — thus  having 
borne  it  without  intermission  for  twenty-four  hours. 

These  processions  can  be  seen  almost  every  day,  and  some- 
times two  or  three  a  day,  in  the  streets  of  the  city.  Passing 
one  on  one  occasion  in  the  Ezbekieh,  they  halted  near  me,  and 
I  stepped  close  to  them  to  witness  the  performance.  A  young 
man,  stoutly  built,  and  shabbily  dressed,  was  the  harlequin  of  the 


BURIAL    OP    THE    DEAD.  Ill 

occasion.  He  threw  himself  into  a  sort  of  trance,  eyes  closed, 
and  apparently  indifferent  to  all  about  him.  In  this  condition 
he  commenced  a  series  of  striking  gymnastic  exercises.  Keep- 
ing time  to  the  music,  he  threw  his  arms,  legs  and  body  into  all 
sorts  of  attitudes,  sometimes  ludicrous,  and  sometimes  graceful. 
As  he  proceeded,  the  main  part  of  the  procession  gathered  in  a 
circle  about  him,  and  watched  his  absurd  gesticulations  with 
the  utmost  apparent  satisfaction.  He  detained  the  procession 
about  fifteen  minutes.  The  strange  exhibition  over,  he  was 
greeted  with  shouts  of  applause,  and  the  procession  moved  on 
to  find  another  performer.    But  now  the  scene  changes ; 

A   FUNERAL  PROCESSION 

Comes  treading  closely  upon  the  heels  of  the  bridal  throng, 
and  the  wailings  of  anguish  succeed  the  songs  of  mirth.  Thus 
changeful  and  varied  are  the  scenes  of  life.  The  ceremonies 
connected  with  death  and  burial  among  the  Egyptians,  to  us 
seem  strange  indeed.  The  victim  must  die  with  his  face  to- 
wards Mecca.  While  the  death-rattle  is  yet  in  his  throat,  he  is 
turned  in  that  direction,  and  as  the  spirit  takes  its  flight  amid 
loud  bursts  of  lamentation  from. wives  and  children,  an  attend- 
ant exclaims:  "Allah!  There  is  no  strength  nor  power. but 
in  God.  To  God  we  belong,  and  to  him  we  must  return.  God 
have  mercy  on  him  !"  The  shroud  of  the  poor  man  is  a  piece 
or  two  of  cotton  cloth.  Any  color  may  be  used  but  blue. 
Why  this  is  interdicted  in  death,  when  it  is  so  generally  worn 
in  life,  I  do  not  know.  The  colors  generally  used  are  white 
and  green. 

The  preliminaries  completed,  the  solemn  procession  is  formed. 
The  corpse  of  a  small  child  is  often  borne  in  a  tray  upon  the 
head  of  a  woman;  older  persons,  upon  the  shoulders  of  two  or 
more  men,  as  may  be  necessary.  The  adornments  of  corpse, 
hearse  and  bearers  vary,  of  course,  according  to  wealth  and  po- 
sition; sometimes,  in  case  of  a  rich  man,  three  or  four  camels 
are  marched  at  the  head  of  the  procession,  laden  with  bread 
and  water,  to  be  distributed  among  the  poor  at  the  tomb.  It 
is  considered  very  meritorious  to  take  part  in  a  funeral  proces- 
sion, and  aid  in  carrying  the  bier.    The  most  imposing  part  ot 


112 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


these  ceremonies  are  the  wild  lamentations  that  rend  the  air. 
The  mourning  of  relatives  on  such  occasions  may  be  heartfelt 
and  sincere,  for  the  ties  of  affection  and  kindred  bind  as  strong- 
ly, and  the  lacerated  heart  of  the  bereft  bleeds  as  freely  in 
Moslem  as  in  Christian •  lands,  but  the  procession  is  generally 
accompanied  by  a  number  of  professional  wailing  women,  hired 
for  the  occasion.  Sometimes  you  will  hear  in  a  low,  deep  mon- 
otone: "There  is  no  God  but  God,  and  Mohammed  is  his 
prophet."  Then  again  these  women  may  be  seen  wringing 
their  hands,  *and  with  disheveled  hair,  shrieking  at  the  top  of 
their  voices.  To  the  stranger,  there  is  something  at  first  pecu- 
liarly solemn  and  impressive  in  these  low  chants  and  piercing 
wails.  It,  however,  soon  becomes  so  monotonous,  and  has  so 
much  of  the  appearance  of  a  mere  mechanical  performance,  as 
to  beget  disgust. 

But  we  have  walked  and  gazed  till  feet  and  eyes  are  weary. 
Let  us  return  to  our  hotel,  and  rest  ourselves  under  the  shade 
of  those  great  trees.  Sit  down  here  upon  the  terrace  and  look 
about  you.  There  are  a  great  variety  of  entertainments  here, 
and  now  we  are  going  to  have 

A   STRANGE  SHOW. 

There  comes  a  man  with  a  tarboosh  on  his  head,  feet  and 
legs  bare,  a  ragged  old  sash  binding  his  dirty  shirt  close  around 
the  waist,  converting  the  loose  folds  of  the  bosom  into  a  great 
pocket.  What  do  you  think  he  has  got  in  there?  He  walks 
up  with  the  air  and  assurance  of  a  practiced  performer,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  Sir,  I  can  show  you  a  thing."  First,  he  pulls  out  a 
greasy,  filthy-looking  bag,  unties  the  string  that  holds  the 
mouth,  thrusts  in  his  hand  and  pulls  out  a  large  knotted  mass 
of  living  vipers.  He  rolls  them  over,  and  tumbles  them  round, 
as  though  they  were  as  soft  to  the  touch  and  as  harmless  in 
their  nature  as  a  bundle  of  velvet  ribbons.  Having  displayed 
his  ingenuity  in  entangling  them  still  more,  by  winding  their 
slimy  bodies  around  each  other,  and  tucking  their  venomous 
heads  over,  through  and  under,  he  tosses  the  writhing  mass 
upon  the  ground.  Each  serpent  form,  with  demon  eyes  and 
forked  tongue,  writhes  and  twists  in  horid  evolutions  to  disen- 


A    SERPENT  CHARMER. 


113 


tangle  himself  from  the  gordian  mass;  and  soon  each  separate 
viper  is  seen  pushing  his  scaly  form  this  way  and  that,  to  make 
his  escape. 

The  operator  keeps  his  eye  upon  them,  claps  his  bare  foot 
upon  one  here,  seizes  another  by  the  head  there,  and  tosses 
them  back  into  the  ring,  playing  with  them  like  a  child  with  his 
toys.  "  Is  that  all  ?  "  This  is  only  the  first  act.  "With  this  brood 
of  small  serpents  around  him,  he  put  his  hand  again  into  his 
bosom,  and  drew  out — my  blood  curdled  at  the  horrid'  sight — 
an  enormous  cobra  capello,  or  hooded  snake,  four  or  five  feet 
long,  and  cast  him  among  the  smaller  ones.  This  is  a  serpent 
of  the  most  venomous  kind,  found  in  all  hot  countries.  He 
tossed  the  little  reptiles  on  to  him,  and  pinched  his  back  to 
irritate  him,  when  the  enraged  monster,  after  the  fashion  of  his 
species,  raised  a  foot  or  two  of  his  body,  so  as  to  appear  to 
stand  erect,  spread  out  and  flattened  the  sides  of  his  neck  and 
head  in  the  form  of  a  hood,  which  gives  him  his  name,  and 
struck  at  his  tormentor  with  all  the  fury  of  his  venomous  na- 
ture. Whether  he  had  extracted  his  fangs,  or  was  proof 
against  them,  I  do  not  know.  Having  amused  himself  in  this 
way  for  near  half  an  hour,  he  tucked  the  slimy  serpent  back 
into  his  naked  bosom,  gathered  up  his  little  snakes,  rolled  and 
tied  them  into  knots,  thrust  them  into  his  bag,  and  laid  them 
away  by  the  side  of  their  larger  brother.  "  And  had  he  done  ?  " 
Done  with  the  snakes,  but  not  with  you.  Do  you  think  he  was 
so  kind-hearted  as  to  spend  that  whole  half  hour  merely  for 
your  gratification  ?  Turning  his  tarboosh  into  a  contribution 
box,  he  passes  among  the  crowd  with  the  air  of  one  who  had 
performed  a  valuable  service,  calling  for  a  backsheesh.  "  And 
how,"  I  hear  one  inquiring,  "did  you  enjoy  the  performance?  " 
I  sat  through  the  first  exhibition,  partly  from  the  strange  char- 
acter of  the  show,  and  partly  spell-bound  by  the  horror  it  ex- 
cited. But  I  could  never  endure  the  sight  again,  and  always 
afterwards  left  when  the  fellow  came  to  repeat  the  perform- 
ance, as  he  was  sure  to  do  each  succeeding  day. 

It  may  not  be  one  of  the  pleasantest  things  in  the  world  to 
have  snakes  thus  thrust  upon  one's  attention,  yet  snakes  have 
occupied  a  place  in  history  from  the  time  the  serpent  appeared 


114 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


in  the  garden.  The  world  is  full  of  them,  more  varied  and  nu- 
merous than  most  persons  suppose.  There  may  be  many  a 
man  who  would  turn  with  disgust  from  this  serpent-charmer, 
that  may  still  be  harboring  a  more  venomous  brood  in  his  own 
breast.  Our  Savior  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  generation 
of  vipers.  Better  shun  them  all,  whether  they  walk  erect  or 
crawl  in  the  dust — those  that  tempt  and  those  that  bite — those 
that  writhe  and  hiss,  and  those  that  lie  in  secret  places — the 
serpent  of  discord,  the  worm  of  the  still,  and  the  worm  that 
dieth  not. 

But  we  have  seen  enough  for  to-day.  To-morrow  we  will 
make  an  excursion  to  the  pyramids.  This  will  occupy  the  day, 
and  the  plan  must  be  arranged  to-night.  I  remember  how 
that  dragoman  cheated  me  at  Alexandria;  now  I  will  turn 
dragoman  myself,  and  see  what  I  can  do.  Give  me  a  donkey 
boy  that  can  talk  English,  and  I  will  manage  all  the  rest.  I 
stepped  on  to  the  platform  of  the  hotel,  and  immediately  had 
an  audience  of  more  than  a  dozen  donkey  boys.  I  engaged  in 
conversation  with  them  on  the  merits  of  their  respective  ani- 
mals, and  soon  selected  my  boy,  who  could  not  only  talk  very 
good  English,  but  whose  donkey  he  declared  "hab  English 
name;  he  name  Lily  Bob."  "And  what  will  you  ask  to  take 
me  to  the  pyramids?"  " Two  and  sixpence,  sah ;  me  go  all  day 
for  two  and  sixpence."  This  was  the  common  price,  English 
money,  not  including  the  backsheesh.  "  Very  well ;  be  here  in 
the  morning  at  8  o'clock."  And  now  I  hear  you  inquire  : 
"What  do  you  mean  by 

"the  backsheesh?" 

If  you  will  only  wait  till  you  get  among  the  Arabs,  you  will 
soon  learn.  It  is  an  omnipresent  word,  and  ever  rings  in  the 
ear  of  the  traveler,  from  his  first  landing  in  Egypt  till  his  final 
leave  of  Syria.  It  means  a  gift  or  gratuity,  something  over 
and  above  one's  just  deserts.  When  one  has  performed  a  ser- 
vice for  you,  if  he  has  done  it  faithfully  and  well,  he  not  only 
expects  the  compensation  agreed  upon,  but  he  also  expects  a 
backsheesh,  or  a  small  gratuity,  by  way  of  present.  Servants  , 
and  laborers  all  look  for  it;  scores  of  loungers  and  hangers-on 


MEANING    OF  BACKSHEESH. 


115 


are  constantly  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  lift  a  finger  for 
you,  that  they  may  claim  a  backsheesh;  multitudes  of  beggars 
swarm  around  you  continually,  supplicating  for  a  backsheesh ; 
abject  looking  men  and  women,  in  supplicating  tones,  crave  it; 
children  run  after  you  and  clamor  for  it.  I  had  often  heard 
before  I  left  home,  it  was  a  common  word  in  Egypt  and  Syria, 
but  I  had  formed  no  conception  of  the  immensity  of  its  use. 
All  travelers  of  all  tribes  and  tongues  hear  it  and  learn  it,  and 
it  will  become  incorporated  into  every  living  language. 
*  Our  plan  for  to-morrow  is  formed,  but  now  an  unexpected 
obstacle  arises.  A  party  of  English  and  Americans  have  just 
come  in,  in  great  excitement,  with  a  frightful  account  of  their 
treatment  by  the  Arabs  in  charge  of  the  pyramids,  representing 
them  as  a  rapacious,  mercenary  set,  ready  to  extort  every  possi- 
ble farthing  from  the  visitor.  They  had  a  quarrel  with  them 
on  account  of  the  enormous  backsheesh  demanded;  one  of  them 
had  struck  an  Arab  with  his  walking-stick,  and  it  was  with  dif- 
ficulty, according  to  their  own  account,  they  had  escaped  from 
their  insolent  usage.  Here  was  a  perplexity.  Is  it  safe  for  me 
to  venture,  alone  and  unprotected,  among  these  lawless  men? 
It  is  eight  or  nine  miles  distant,  upon  the  borders  of  the  desert, 
far  away  from  the  protection  of  civil  authority — shall  I  go? 
I  am  much  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do.  I  will  retire  and 
sleep  over  it,  and  see  what  the  morrow  will  bring  forth. 


116 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Visit  to  the  Great  Pyramid  op  Cheops — The  Sphynx — Inci- 
dents and  Reflections. 

February  15th.  The  morning  dawned  bright  and  beautiful, 
as  all  the  mornings  of  this  uniform  spring  climate  do.  The 
perplexing  question  of  last  evening  was  still  unsettled.  Shall 
I  go  to  the  pyramids?  I  debated  with  myself  the  question,  for 
I  was  inclined  to  go.  "  Shall  I  take  my  revolver  along  to 
defend  myself  if  I  am  threatened?"  0,  no!  I  have  no  idea  of 
shooting  a  man.  "  But,  then,"  something  whispered,  "  if  it  be- 
comes necessary,  you  might  just  frighten  him  a  little."  "But, 
if  I  have  arms,"  said  I,  "I  might,  in  a  moment  of  excite- 
ment, do  what  calm  reflection  would  condemn,  and,  perhaps, 
what  I  might  ever  after  regret."  "  Well,  then,"  the  same  voice 
whispered,  "take  your  unloaded  revolver,  with  only  caps,  to 
make  a  show  of  defense."  "  And  then  I  should  be  more  ready 
to  point  it  at  an  opponent,  and,  seeing  what  he  would  suppose 
a  deadly  weapon  at  his  breast,  he  might  be  instigated  to  some 
desperate  act  himself."  Such  was  the  colloquy  that,  with  the 
lightning  track  of  thought,  went  through  my  mind.  Peace 
principles  triumphed.  "  I'll  go  the  pyramids,"  said  I,  "  go 
alone,  go  unarmed,  trusting  to  common  sense,  the  common 
generous  impulses  of  the  human  heart,  a  common  overruling 
Providence,  and  a — liberal  backsheesh  to  help  me  through." 
Hassan  !  bring  up  the  donkey."    And  now  for 

THE    TRICKS    OF    A    DONKEY  BOY. 

Hassan  was  older  than  most  boys  of  his  profession,  full 
grown,  well  built,  of  fine  countenance,  light  complexioned,  but 
with  a  clear,  deep,  snaky  looking  eye.  Moreover,  he  was 
learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians,  so  far,  at  least,  as 


OLD    THINGS    AND  PLACES. 


117 


tricks  upon  travelers  are  concerned.  My  nimble  beast  was 
soon  upon  a  full  canter,  when  looking  over  my  shoulder,  I  saw 
Hassan,  instead  of  running  behind  me  with  his  driving  stick, 
coming  astride  of  a  second  donkey.  "  What !  Hassan,  are  you 
going  to  take  a  donkey  too  ? "  "  Yes,  misser,  long  way — too 
long  for  all  walk."  "Do  you  expect  me  to  pay  for  your 
donkev  ? "  "  wu~^jfG5IS>»"  -  ^king  somewhat  con- 
eys." "  I  agreed  to 
ksheesh  to  take  me 


fu 
th 


m 
wi 
of 


Death's  turmu  w*v~>  f 

*fJ^^"^W  Youmaytakeae 
d  calm  through  dark  and  lighten,  and  the  firmness 

™yb~  •  blanket  upon  the  fire. 

TTne  Irmor  ot iny  beavenly  king.  ,  companions,  he  surren- 

dej  on  *«ard,  on  gu^Mbe  J^**  L  Allowed  on  behind  me. 

\mng*^Zl\^              h  ganoid  town  upon  the 

ban  1  deadliest  foes  are  drawing  nigh.  ^  Qf  fte  M  EgJptian 


Bab 
Caii 
mis( 
of  i 
that 
fort: 
rem 
and 


^^^^^/^    yearS°ld"  ^ 

I  fear  you  not ;  I  know  y  ishing  under  the  shadow 

>u„  «irrht«  mv  watch  is  done; 
yast  9°g^^T^i^'^y'ir*«  ne  antique  places  here, 
t  laii  not  see  another  sun'»  rains  of  the  old  Eoman 

tded  is  sorrow,  loU, --^ , 

^^^^tehMJVtore;  wers  are  yet  standing,. 
IVobe^nluIrd0f:revermoCre.8e  may  still  be  seen  the 

Ron!  —  ■  .■^rrTm^rr?vwrT:>PpnrTiP  a  Christian  village, 

and  is  dedicated  to  St.  George,  the  patron  saint  of  the  Copts. 

There  are  also  three  convents  here.  One  is  occupied  by  the 
Catholic  Armenians  and  Syrian  Maronites,  another  by  the 
Copts,  a  third  by  the  Greeks.  In  this  Greek  convent  you  are 
shown  a  room  in  which  it  is  said  the  Virgin  and  the  child 
Jesus  had  their  abode  during  their  sojurn  in  Egypt !  Here, 
too,  are  some  very  ancient  structures,  said  to  have  been  built 
by  Joseph,  and  used  for  treasure  houses,  in  which  corn  was 
stored  for  the  days  of  famine!  In  the  old  Roman  fortress 
alluded  to,  in  an  upper  chamber  over  one  of  the  towers,  is  an 
ancient  Christian  record,  sculptured  on  wood,  in  the  time  of 
Diocletian.  It  is  a  well  preserved  and  curious  device.  The 
upper  part  of  the  frieze  has  a  Greek  inscription,  and  below 


116 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Visit  to  the  Great0r7h  "British  KevSwT™ — ^HE  Sphynx — Inci- 

eonard  Scott  Publishing  Co.,  New  York)  has 
ies  upon  Mr.  George  McDonald's  Novels-  Sir 

February  16th.  lam  Ro^an  Hamilton-;  Recent  Humorists    Ay  tiful> 

as  all  the  mornr'  Pe*c°c*\  Prout5  The  Ethics  of  Arisiotle"  The 

DerDlexW  Quest  n8  ^^'/6^'  Past  and  Shall 
peiplexiDg  quest;  George  E  hot's  Novels ;  and  Keble  and  -the 

I  go  to  the  pyramids^  Year."  n,  for 

I  was  inclined  to  go.™ :  Chants,  Prayers  and  Responses  for  to 
defend  myself  if  I  am  ?r*„?'   f"  A' BalIou»  3*  Cornhiu.  lea  of 

u   .,.  UT>  /  httle  volume  has  evidently  been  carefully 

shooting  a  man.  "  But  A  friend  at  our  elbow,  a  connoisseur  in  **  be" 
comes  necessary,  you  n:sict  speaks  rapturously  of  the  music  of  "But, 
if  I  have  arms,"  said  and  jn  the  selection,  and  arrangement  Ixcite- 

ment,  do  what  calm  ^^^^5^  ^  to  ^ps, 

>  A   ,     ^?    "  ,tbe  comPIete  recognition        .  ' 

What  1  might  ever  att<of  our  liberal  faith, we  see  nothing  omit-  '  V01Ce 

whispered,  "  take  y0idesirable-   It  is  intended  to  be  used  by  tps,  to 

make  a  show  of  defend  *s  wel*  a*  ^  ™n5ster  and  choir,  ready 

.     .  •  aspect  is  adapted  to  Western  taste  and 

to  point  it  at  an  oppoe  think  its  use  will  tend  to  foster  a  devout  PP°Se 
a  deadly  weapon  at  hto  transform  those  who  are  simply  specta-  some 
desperate  act  himself  churches> into  worshippers.  th  the 

lightning  track-  of  thought,  went  ffirougif  lily "' emwK  Peace 
principles  triumphed.  "  I'll  go  the  pyramids,"  said  I,  "  go 
alone,  go  unarmed,  trusting  to  common  sense,  the  common 
generous  impulses  of  the  human  heart,  a  common  overruling 
Providence,  and  a — liberal  backsheesh  to  help  me  through." 
Hassan  !  bring  up  the  donkey."    And  now  for 

THE    TEIOKS    OF    A    DONKEY  BOY. 

Hassan  was  older  than  most  boys  of  his  profession,  full 
grown,  well  built,  of  fine  countenance,  light  complexioned,  but 
with  a  clear,  deep,  snaky  looking  eye.  Moreover,  he  was 
learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians,  so  far,  at  least,  as 


OLD    THINGS    AND  PLACES. 


117 


tricks  upon  travelers  are  concerned.  My  nimble  beast  was 
soon  upon  a  full  canter,  when  looking  over  my  shoulder,  I  saw 
Hassan,  instead  of  running  behind  me  with  his  driving  stick, 
coming  astride  of  a  second  donkey.  "  What !  Hassan,  are  you 
going  to  take  a  donkey  too  ?  "  "  Yes,  misser,  long  way — too 
long  for  all  walk."  "Do  you  expect  me  to  pay  for  your 
donkey  ?  "  "  Why,"  hesitating,  and  looking  somewhat  con- 
fused, "gemmen  he  pay  both  two  donkeys."  "I  agreed  to 
give  you  a  half  crown  and  sixpence  backsheesh  to  take  me 
there  and  back.  That  is  all  you  will  get.  You  may  take  as 
many  donkeys  as  you  please."  This  decision,  and  the  firmness 
with  which  it  was  uttered,  fell  like  a  wet  blanket  upon  the  fire, 
of  his  zeal.  Hallooing  to  one  of  his  companions,  he  surren- 
dered his  donkey,  and  in  sulky  mood  followed  on  behind  me. 

Three  miles  brought  us  to  Old  Cairo,  an  old  town  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Utile,  founded  upon  the  site  of  the  old  Egyptian 
Babylon.  It  is  two  or  three  hundred  years  older  than  Grand 
Cairo.  The  new  city  absorbed  its  business,  and  it  is  now  a 
miserable,  dirty,  dilapidated  place,  perishing  under  the  shadow 
of  its  great  rival.  Still  there  are  some  antique  places  here, 
that  well  repay  a  visit.  Here  are  the  ruins  of  the  old  Eoman 
fortress,  besieged  and  taken  by  the  Moslem  invaders.  The 
remains  of  the  solid  walls  and  great  towers  are  yet  standing, 
and  in  one  place,  under  a  pediment,  may  still  be  seen  the 
Roman  eagle.  This  fortress  has  now  become  a  Christian  village, 
and  is  dedicated  to  St.  George,  the  patron  saint  of  the  Copts. 

There  are  also  three  convents  here.  One  is  occupied  by  the 
Catholic  Armenians  and  Syrian  Maronites,  another  by  the 
Copts,  a  third  by  the  Greeks.  In  this  Greek  convent  you  are 
shown  a  room  in  which  it  is  said  the  Virgin  and  the  child 
Jesus  had  their  abode  during  their  sojurn  in  Egypt !  Here, 
too,  are  some  very  ancient  structures,  said  to  have  been  built 
by  Joseph,  and  used  for  treasure  houses,  in  which  corn  was 
stored  for  the  days  of  famine!  In  the  old  Eoman  fortress 
alluded  to,  in  an  upper  chamber  over  one  of  the  towers,  is  an 
ancient  Christian  record,  sculptured  on  wood,  in  the  time  of 
Diocletian.  It  is  a  well  preserved  and  curious  device.  The 
upper  part  of  the  frieze  has  a  Greek  inscription,  and  below 


118 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


is  a  representation  of  the  Deity  sitting  on  a  globe,  supported 
by  two  angels ;  on  either  side  of  which  is  a  procession  of  six 
figures,  evidently  the  twelve  apostles. 

Just  upon  the  opposite  bank  lies  Gizeh,  from  which  these 
pyramids  are  named,  with  a  ferry  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
town.  As  we  approached  this,  Hassan,  who  had  been  quite 
silent  during  our  three  miles'  ride,  again  approached  me.  "  Got 
change  to  pay  de  boat?"  "Yes,  how  much  will  it  be?"  Ee- 
ducing  English  currency  to  federal  money,  as  I  shall  generally 
do — "Fifty  cents,  sah.  Gib  you  me  de  money;  I  make  de 
bargain  for  de  boat;  I  know  'em  best."  "Fifty  cents!  It 
costs  no  fifty  cents  to  get  ferried  over  the  Nile."  "  How  much 
you  pay?"  "Don't  know,"  said  I.  "All  de  gemmen  he  pay 
fifty."  "  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it,"  said  I.  Hassan  walked 
a  few  rods  in  silence.  "  You  gib  me  twenty-five  cents  I  make 
de  bargain  for  boat."  "  I  shall  not  pay  the  half  of  twenty-five, 
and  I  choose  to  make  my  own  bargains."  The  deceitful  rascal 
knew  that  I  could  not  understand  Arabic,  and  he  had  calcu- 
lated upon  making  a  few  dimes  out  of  me  by  the  ferriage. 

By  this  time  we  were  on  the  river  bank.  No  skill  of  words 
could  portray  the  scene  that  ensued.  It  is  a  great  thorough- 
fare; and  hundreds  of  people  throng  the  landing  place  ;  numer- 
ous boats  of  all  sizes  were  waiting  for  freight;  donkeys  and 
their  riders,  camels  with  their  huge  burdens,  horses  and  horse- 
men, ragged  men  and  women,  and  squalling,  dirty  children, 
were  mingled  together  on  the  shore,  or  crowded  into  the  open, 
antique  looking  boats,  in  close  proximity  and  strange  confusion. 

Hassan,  sulky  from  the  disappointment  of  making  forty 
cents  out  of  me  on  the  ferriage,  seemed  disposed  to  take  me  at 
my  word,  and  leave  me  to  make  my  own  bargain.  We  were 
soon  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  saucy,  insolent  boatmen,  who 
seemed  disposed  to  take  us  by  force.  One  seized  the  little 
donkey,  and  commenced  dragging  him  towards  his  boat; 
another  pulled  at  Hassan,  and  others  turned  their  attention  to 
me.  I  saw  they  were  governed  by  no  law,  and  in  the  absence 
of  police  regulations,  I  was  compelled  to  assume  command. 
Using  my  umbrella  for  a  weapon,  I  cleared  a  space  about 
myself  and  donkey,  and  with  threatening  attitude,  kept  them  at 


REFLECTIONS    ON    THE  NILE 


119 


a  respectful  distance.  Glancing  upon  the  crowd,  I  selected  one 
whose  appearance  pleased  me,  took  out  an  English  sixpence, 
held  it  up  to  him  and  pointed  to  his  boat.  He  seized  the 
money,  then  laid  hold  of  the  donkey  and  beckoned  us  forward, 
and  I  supposed  the  contest  was  ended.  Hassan  now  for  the 
first  time  interfered,  and  declared  the  man's  boat  was  too  small 
to  take  donkey  in.  "He  fall  in  de  river,  he  do."  I  believed 
he  was  lying  to  me,  for  I  saw  him  exchanging  words  with 
another  boatman,  and  mistrusted  a  connivance  for  some  selfish 
purpose. 

Kow  came  another  contest.  The  man  with  the  larger  boat 
seized  the  arm  of  the  one  who  still  had  the  money  in  his 
fingers,  and  held  him  like  a  vice.  He  clung  to  the  money  with 
a  deathly  grasp,  and  refused  to  give  it  up.  Again  I  had  to 
assume  a  tone  of  authority  and  defiance.  Seizing  the  obstinate 
fellow  with  one  hand,  I  raised  my  umbrella  in  warlike  attitude 
over  his  head  with  the  other,  and  demanded  the  coin.  The 
fellow,  seeing  my  hostile  attitude,  yielded  without  a  motion  of 
resistance.  Boatman  number  two,  with  an  air  of  triumph, 
pocketed  the  change,  literally  pushed  and  lifted  Lily  Bob  into 
his  boat,  and  we  were. 

AFLOAT    UPON    THE  NILE. 

I  at  once  forgot  the  perplexities  of  bargaining  with  boatmen, 
in  the  strange  sensations  that  came  over  me.  The  river  here  is  ■ 
broad  and  shallow.  Our  boatman  spread  his  rude  lateen  sail, 
that  he  might  take  advantage  of  both  wind  and  current,  and  as 
the  waters  came  rippling  against  our  boat,  they  seemed  speak- 
ing to  me  of  the  strange  events  of  by-gone  days.  And  this 
particular  place,  of  all  others,  seemed  calculated  to  awaken 
remembrances  of  the  past.  As  we  gained  the  current  of  the 
river,  our  boat  floated  directly  down  npon  Boda,  a  beautiful 
little  island,  whose  grassy  banks  and  shady  groves  have  long 
been  the  resort  of  pleasure  parties  from  Cairo.  On  this  island 
stands  the  celebrated  kilometer.  This  is  a  square  room  or 
chamber,  built  of  stone,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  graduated 
stone  pillar.  By  a  scale  upon  this  pillar,  the  daily  rise  of  the 
Nile  is  ascertained.    This  is  proclaimed  every  day  during  the 


120 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


inundation,  in  the  streets  of  Cairo,  by  four  criers,  specially  ap- 
pointed for  tha  purpose.  The  pillar  contains  a  scale  of  twenty- 
four  cubits  of  twenty-one  and  seven-eighteenth  inches  each. 
Twenty  cubits  is  a  good  rise,  and  the  promise  of  an  abundant 
harvest;  twenty-four  would  be  destructive  to  life  and  property. 
No  wonder,  then,  that  the  rise  of  these  waters  is  watched  with 
intense  interest  by  the  inhabitants.  By  this  island,  also, 
tradition  fixes  the  place  of  the  exposure  of 

THE    INFANT  MOSES. 

This,  to  me,  was  of  more  interest  than  all  the  rest,  and  the 
story  of  this  great  leader  and  law-giver  in  Israel  was  fresh  in 
my  mind.  "With  what  crushing  weight  that  edict  of  an  arbi- 
trary and  persecuting  ruler,  that  doomed  their  children  to 
death,  must  have  fallen  upon  the  hearts  of  the  mothers  in 
Israel !  What  an  hour  of  deep,  agonizing  trial  was  that, 
when  a  daughter  of  Levi,  under  the  pressure  of  that  cruel 
decree,  took  an  ark  of  bulrushes,  and  daubed  it  with  slime 
and  pitch,  and  put  the  child  therein,  and  laid  it  in  the  flags  by 
the  river's  brink !  How  vividly  the  picture  passed  before  my 
mind,  as  I  thought  I  could  see  the  Hebrew  mother,  swayed  by 
the  conflicting  emotions  of  hope  and  fear,  wrestling  with  God, 
in  the  earnest  struggle  of  a  holy  faith,  that  he  would  open  a 
way  for  the  salvation  of  her  child!  And  I  almost  fancied  I 
caught  glimpses  of  that  faithful  sister  Miriam,  half  concealed 
among  the  shrubbery  of  the  bank,  as  she  watched  with  anxious 
solicitude  the  fate  of  her  infant  brother!  But  an  eye  that 
watched  with  more  untiring  vigilance,  and  a  hand  that  could 
direct  a  mother's  plans  and  a  prince's  steps,  was  there  !  It 
was  a  wonderful  beginning  of  a  strange  and  eventful  life  !  Is 
it  possible,  I  mused,  that  I  am  standing  so  near  the  scene  of 
these  remarkable  events?  Are  these  the  waters  that  went 
rippling  by  the  ark  of  the  infant  Moses,  and  over  which  he 
afterwards  stretched  his  wonder-working  rod,  transforming 
them  into  a  terrific  torrent  of  blood?  How  plainly  the  hand 
of  God  was  seen  in  these  wonderful  events ! 

Now  we  are  approaching  the  opposite  shore.  I  watched  the 
boatman  in  the  collection  of  his  tolls,  for  I  was  curious  to  know 


ARAB  CHARACTERISTICS. 


121 


how  much  the  natives  paid — probably  not  more  than  one  cent ; 
but  Frank  travelers  are  free  plunder,  and  every  one  that  comes 
in  contact  with  them  expects  to  make  it  pay.  And  yet  these 
natives,  so  rude  and  lawless,  so  vehement  in  language  and  vio- 
lent in  gesticulation,  are  not  a  quarrelsome  people.  A  single 
threatening  motion  from  the  hand  of  a  Frank  will  overawe  a 
dozen  of  them,  and  even  if  they  get  a  blow  from  a  superior, 
they  will  seldom  resent  it.  They  have  far  more  knavery  than 
courage,  while  deceit  and  falsehood  are  bred  in  the  warp  and 
woven  in  with  the  very  filling  of  their  nature.  Landing  from 
the  boat,  we  were  in  Gizeh,  an  old,  dilapidated  town,  the  mis- 
erable wreck  of  what  it  once  was.  In  the  days  of  the  Mama- 
lukes,  it  was  fortified  and  adorned  with  mosques;  but  fortifica- 
tions and  mosques  are  now  crumbling  heaps  of  dirt  and  stones. 
Here,  if  the  traveler  chooses,  he  can  visit 

THE   RENOWNED   CHICKEN  OVENS. 

From  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs,  even  down  to  the  present, 
Egypt  has  been  noted  for  the  multitude  of  chickens  hatched  by  ar- 
tificial heat.  The  eggs  are  stowed  by  thousands  into  great  ovens ; 
the  heat  graduated  to  a  degree  corresponding  to  the  warmth  of 
the  parent  hen,  and  in  due  time,  though  eggs  are  close  things,  the 
chickens  do  come  out.  This  artificial  mode  of  producing  chick- 
ens seems  to  be  a  purely  Egyptian  notion.  The  business  is 
principally  conducted  by  the  Copts,  and  is  still  carried  on  in 
both  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  the  proprietors  paying  a  tax  to 
the  government  for  the  privilege.  The  eggs  are  placed  in  the 
large  ovens  upon  mats  or  straw,  tier  above  tier.  A  building 
containing  from  twelve  to  twenty-four  ovens  is  called  a  maamal, 
and  receives  at  one  time  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
eggs.  In  1831,  an  official  report  for  the  government  gave,  in 
Lower  Egypt  alone,  one  hundred  and  five  of  these  establish- 
ments, using  up  annually  over  nineteen  millions  of  eggs,  of 
which  about  six  millions  were  spoiled,  and  from  the  balance 
about  thirteen  millions  of  chickens  produced !  Thus  saving  more 
than  a  million  and  a  half  of  hens  the  arduous  task  of  three 
weeks'  patient,  self-denying  incubation,  and  relieving  them  from 


122 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI 


more  than  twice  that  amount  of  time  in  the  anxious,  toilsome 
labor  of  rearing  their  broods ! 

Passing  along  these  streets,  large  quantities  of  oranges,  dates 
and  other  fruits,  with  bread  and  vegetables,  were  exposed  for 
sale.  I  had  taken  a  lunch  for  myself,  intending  to  dine  on  the 
top  of  Cheops.  "  Hassan,"  said  I,  "  did  you  bring  any  thing 
along  to  eat ? "  " lso,  sah."  Handing  him  three  piasters,  " Here, 
buy  me  three  or  four  oranges,  and  get  some  bread  and  oranges 
for  yourself."  He  took  the  money,  looked  at  it  a  moment,  and 
with  a  contemptuous  toss  of  the  head  pushed  it  back  towards 
me:  "Shaw!  couldn't  buy  any  thing  with  dat."  "Very  well," 
said  I,  carelessly ;  "  no  matter/'  and  put  it  back  into  my  pocket. 
Again  he  looked  disappointed.  I  knew  it  was  twice  as  much 
as  was  necessary,  but  as  he  expected  to  pocket  all  the  change, 
he  was  calculating  I  would  increase  the  amount. 

We  were  passing  the  last  of  the  market  stands,  and  a  few 
minutes  would  end  the  chance  of  making  a  purchase.  Hassan 
sidled  up  to  me,  and  in  a  subdued  tone  said:  "Please,  sah,  gib 
de-  money,  I  buy  de  oranges."  I  handed  him  a  single  piaster. 
He  looked  at  it  contemptuously,  turned  it  in  his  hand,  and  was 
about  to  speak.  "  That  or  nothing,"  said  I,  sternly.  He  started 
for  a  stand,  brought  me  four  oranges,  tucked  four  into  his  own 
bosom,  bought  bread  enough  for  his  dinner,  and  I  saw  the 
huckster  hand  him  back  several  paras  change.  The  truth  is, 
these  fellows  are  so  much  accustomed  to  make  something  from 
travelers  at  every  turn  and  every  trade,  their  rapacity  is  never 
satisfied. 

We  had  now  a  ride  of  four  or  five  miles  to  make  across  the 
open  plain,  the  huge  pyramids  all  the  time  in  sight,  but  still  so 
far  distant  one  could  form  no  just  conception  of  their  size.  In- 
deed, the  general  impression  of  travelers,  as  they  approach  them, 
at  first,  is  one  of  disappointment,  but  they  should  suspend  their 
j  udgment  till  they  have  ascended  their  rugged  sides.  We  passed 
two  or  three  Arab  villages  on  our  way.  The  same  appearance 
of  indolence  and  haggard  poverty  is  every  where  apparent. 
Lazy,  lounging  men,  lying  about  upon  the  ground;  uncouth 
females,  sitting  in  graceless  attitudes,  their  little  ones  rolling  in 
the  dirt  about  them.    A  dozen  wolfish  dogs,  with  bristled  hair 


APPROACH    TO    THE  PYRAMIDS. 


123 


and  savage  howl,  were  sure  to  herald  our  approach,  while  a  troop 
of  half-naked  boys  and  girls  would  rim  after  us,  calling  out  in 
boisterous  tones,  How-ad-ge  (traveler),  how-ad-ge,  backsheesh, 
backsheesh ! 

THE   DONKEY   BOY  AGAIN. 

As  we  neared  the  place,  the  persevering  Hassan  made  an- 
other attempt  to  sponge  something  out  of  me,  by  the  most 
solemn  assurances  that  he  understood  dealing  with  the  Arabs 
at  the  pyramids,  and  if  I  would  give  him  the  money  he  could 
make  an  advantageous  bargain  with  them.  After  the  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  of  the  boy  at  the  ferry  and  the  buying  of 
the  oranges,  I  admired  both  his  perseverance  and  his  impu- 
dence, and  though  I  thought  they  deserved  a  reward,  I  re- 
pulsed him  rather  rudely,  telling  him  I  chose  to  make  my 
own  bargains. 

We  now  come  to  the  boundary  line,  where  the  rich  vegetation 
of  the  valley  and  the  barren,  changing  sands  of  the  desert,  side 
by  side,  keep  up  a  continual  warfare.  So  marked  was  the  line, 
it  was  but  a  step  from  one  to  the  other.  The  gray  forms  of 
those  great  sepulchral  monuments  now  lay  just  before  us. 
Their  huge  proportions  seemed  rapidly  to  increase  as  we  neared 
them.  At  a  distance,  they  appear  perfectly  smooth  and  pointed 
at  the  top ;  as  you  approach  them,  they  assume  a  more  ragged 
outline,  and  the  top  of  the  largest  one  appears  a  little  flattened. 
They  stand  upon  a  rocky  eminence,  their  base  elevated  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  plain,  just  at  the  foot  of 
the  range  of  hills,  behind  which  lies  the  vast  ocean  of  sands 
constituting  the  great  Lybian  desert. 

We  had  forty  or  fifty  rods  of  the  desert  to  pass.  My  little 
donkey  sank  to  his  fetlocks  in  the  sand,  and  moved  with  so 
much  difficulty  I  dismounted,  gave  the  reins  to  Hassan,  and 
walked  on.  "  Please,  sah,  gemmen  he  always  give  donkey  boy 
sixpence,  for  buy  he  grass  for  he  donkey."  I  did  n't  believe  a 
word  of  it,  but  having  no  disposition  for  a  dispute  about  the 
small  sum,  I  handed  him  a  dime,  though  I  knew  a  penny  would 
buy  all  the  grass  he  wanted.  He  turned  round,  and  walked 
back  towards  the  luxuriant  growth  of  vegetation  we  had  passed, 


124 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


I  glanced  back  occasionally,  to  see  the  result  of  his  care  for  his 
donkey.  He  loitered  till  I  was  a  few  rods  ahead,  then  turned 
and  brought  up  his  creature  without  a  particle  of  the  comforts, 
and  put  the  money,  as  I  supposed  he  would,  into  his  exchequer, 
to  increase  the  aggregate  of  his  day's  wages.  The  eventful 
ride  was  over,  and  I  stood  at 

THE   BASE   OF  CHEOPS. 

Before  we  commence  an  examination  of  these  wonders  of  the 
world,  let  us  look  a  moment  at  their  history.  There  are  five 
groups  of  these  pyramids,  numbering  in  all  about  forty.  They 
are  all  in  middle  Egypt,  extending  up  and  down  the  valley  for 
eight  or  ten  miles.  Most  of  them  are  comparatively  small, 
while  a  few  of  them  have  such  gigantic  proportions  as  to  justly 
entitle  them  to  a  place  among  the  wonders  of  the  world.  They 
all  stand  upon  the  brow  of  the  hills  opening  back  into  the  great 
Lybian  desert.  The  three  most  noted  of  these  groups,  are 
Dashoor,  Sakkara  and  Gizeh,  the  ones  before  which  we  are 
now  standing.    Near  the  pyramids  of  Sakkara  are  the 

IBIS   MUMMY  PITS. 

Here  large  numbers  of  these  sacred  birds  have  been  most 
carefully  preserved — embalmed,  sepulchered  and  honored  with 
religious,  yet  superstitious  care  and  reverence.  ISTear  them 
are  also  mummies  of  snakes,  sheep,  oxen  and  other  animals. 
These  were  gods  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  and  having  no  im- 
mortality of  life,  the  attempts  of  their  votaries  to  perpetuate 
their  existence  after  death  have  proved  a  signal  failure,  for  most 
of  the  stone  pots  in  which  they  have  been  so  carefully  placed, 
on  being  opened,  are  found  to  contain  only  a  handful  of  dust. 
Between  the  pyramids  of  Sakkara  and  Abooser  is  a  great 

APIS  CEMETERY. 

Here  the  embalmed  bodies  of  their  sacred  bulls,  after  having 
received  divine  honors,  were  interred  in  great  pomp  and  state. 
Here  are  long  underground  passages  hewn  in  the  rocks,  on  the 
sides  of  which  are  deep  recesses,  each  containing  a  large  gran- 
ite sarcophagus.    These  are  nearly  thirteen  feet  long,  between 


TOMBS    OF  DEITIES. 


125 


seven  and  eight  broad,  and  of  proportionate  hight.  Here  also 
were  found  inscriptions  affixed  to  the  walls,  containing  an  ac- 
count of  the  successive  bulls,  and  the  names  of  the  kings  in 
whose  reigns  they  received  divine  honors.  The  remains  of 
these  gods  have  all  been  removed. 

Before  leaving  home,  I  saw  in  Dr.  Abbot's  museum  of  Egyp- 
tian antiquities  in  New  York,  the  bodies  of  three  of  these 
"Apis  Osiris"  divinities.  These  are  the  only  ones  that  have 
been  removed  from  Egypt.  They  are  large  sized  animals,  in  a 
recumbent  posture,  saturated  with  embalming  spices,  bound 
around  the  body,  head  and  horns,  with  many  folds  of  mummy 
cloth,  the  whole  well  secured  with  numerous  coils  of  well  pre- 
served rope.  The  ancient  Egyptians  honored  these  sacred 
bulls  as  an  image  of  the  soul  of  Osiris.  When  one  died,  the 
soul  was  supposed  to  migrate  into  the  body  of  his  successor. 
In  looking  upon  these  putrid,  loathsome  carcasses,  I  could  but 
exclaim:  "Is  that  a  body  in  which  a  god  might  dwell?"  I 
thought  of  what  the  Apostle  Paul  says  of  depraved  men,  who, 
professing  to  be  wise,  become  fools,  and  "changed  the  glory  of 
the  incorruptible  God  into  an  image  made  like  to  corruptible 
man,  and  to  birds,  and  four-footed  beasts  and  creeping  things." 
The  most  renowned  of  all  these  pyramidal  structures  are  the 
ones  now  before  us. 

THE   PYRAMIDS   OP  GIZEH. 

They  are  three  in  number,  one  is  quite  small ;  of  the  other 
two,  one  is  called  Cephrenes,  the  other  Cheops,  from  the  two 
kings  by  whom  they  are  supposed  to  have  been  built.  Cheops 
is  the  larger  of  the  two,  and  to  this  one  we  will  turn  our  atten- 
tion, making  a  description  of  one  suffice  for  all  the  rest.  Of  its 
vast  size,  one  does  not  at  first,  even  when  he  stands  by  its  side, 
form  any  adequate  conception.  Standing,  as  it  does,  upon  its 
firm  foundation  of  native  limestone  rock,  amid  the  perpetual 
sterility  of  bleak  and  barren  sands,  without  tree  or  house  or 
hill  with  which  to  compare  it,  there  is  seen  no  standard  by 
which  to  test  its  magnitude.  The  figures  of  its  present  dimen 
sions  are  easily  given :    Its  present  base  is,  each  side,  732  feet* 

perpendicular  hight,  456  feet;  the  angle  of  the  sides  is  about 
8 


126 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


52°.  But  this  is  not  its  original  size.  The  vandal  hands  of  the 
Caliphs  were  laid  upon  it,  the  granite  casement  that  constituted 
the  smooth  exterior  torn  off,  and  layer  after  layer  of  the  huge 
limestone  blocks  removed  to  build  the  palaces  and  mosques  of 
Grand  Cairo.  They  seem  to  have  quarried  from  it  with  as  little 
reverence  for  its  magnificence  and  antiquity  as  though  it  had 
been  only  a  bed  of  native  stone  in  the  hill-side.  Colonel  How- 
ard Vyse  makes  an  estimate  of  its  former  size  and  hight  as 
follows:  Original  base,  each  side,  764  feet;  hight,  480  feet  9 
inches.  It  covered  an  area  of  about  571,536  square  feet.  The 
solid  contents  have  been  calculated  85,000,000  of  cubic  feet;  and 
that  there  is  space  enough  in  this  mass  of  masonry,  were  it  de- 
voted to  the  purpose,  for  3,700  rooms  of  the  size  of  the  king's 
chamber  found  within.  At  present,  the  base  covers  an  area  of 
nearly  thirteen  acres,  formerly  about  thirteen  and  a  half  acres. 

Still  one  may  read  these  figures  again  and  again,  and  form  no 
just  conception  of  the  immense  magnitude  of  the  structure. 
It  is  only  when  we  begin  to  calculate  and  make  comparison 
with  other  hights  and  structures,  that  we  can  at  all  appreciate 
the  mountain  mass  of  stone  that  lies  before  us. 

Let  the  farmer  or  any  one  who  is  accustomed  to  measure 
land,  or  estimate  the  size  of  lots,  lay  off  in  his  mind  a  square 
piece  of  ground  containing  thirteen  acres;  and  many  a  man 
who  has  thirteen  acres  thinks  he  has  quite  a  farm.  Let  him 
imagine  this  great  field  all  covered  over  with  huge  blocks  of 
stone  laid  closely  side  by  side.  Then  begin  and  pile  layer  upon 
layer,  drawing  in  each  successive  tier  a  little,  as  he  does  his 
sheaves  in  finishing  his  grain  stacks.  On  you  go,  piling  them 
higher  and  higher,  till  you  reach  the  tops  of  the  tallest  forest 
trees,  and  you  have  only,  as  it  were,  laid  the  foundation.  Stone 
is  added  to  stone — you  have  overtopped  Bunker  Hill  Monu- 
ment— you  have  reached  the  hight  of  the  gold- tipped  spires 
of  the  tallest  church  steeples  in  our  largest  cities,  and  yet  the 
altitude  of  your  cloud-towering  pile  is  not  half  completed ! 
Eighty  feet  makes  a  very  tall  tree,  and  yet  six  such  trees  stand- 
ing one  upon  the  other  would  only  measure  the  hight  of  this 
enormous  structure  as  it  was  left  by  the  hand  of  those  who 
reared  it ! 


A    GIGANTIC  LABOR. 


127 


Herodotus,  who  visited  Egypt  455  B.  C,  gives  us  some  ac- 
count of  the  herculean  labor  here  performed.  The  stones  were 
brought  from  the  mountains  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley 
of  the  Nile.  The  first  work  was  a  causeway  or  road  over 
which  these  stones  could  be  transported.  Ten  years,  he  says, 
one  hundred  thousand  men  were  employed  in  this  part  of  the 
work.  After  the  building  of  the  road  came  the  leveling  of  the 
rocky  hill,  the  cutting  out  of  the  subterranean  chambers,  and 
the  elevation  of  the  enormous  masses  of  stone.  This  occupied 
three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  men  twenty  years  longer! 
The  first  layer  of  stones  were  easily  put  in  their  places.  The 
second  were  elevated  by  the  aid  of  machines,  or  derricks.  Thus, 
as  the  hight  of  the  mass  progressed,  there  were  a  series  of 
broad  steps  corresponding  to  the  number  of  layers  of  stone. 
Thus  these  machines  were  planted  along  the  ascent,  and  the 
stones  elevated  from  step  to  step.  The  apex  reached,  and  the 
last  limestone  layer  of  the  pinnacle  in  its  place,  triangular 
blocks  of  granite  were  fitted  into  these  successive  series  of  steps, 
beginning  at  the  top  and  working  downwards,  leaving  con- 
stantly a  smooth  surface  above  the  workmen  as  they  descended. 

Such  is  the  structure  we  have  come  to  examine,  and  which 
now  stands  before  us  in  all  its  huge  proportions.  What  an  im- 
mense labor !  What  countless  years  of  human  toil !  What  a 
story  of  crushing  despotism  and  hard-handed  slavish  servitude ! 
But  they  were  built,  and  here  they  stand,  and  here  they  have 
stood  for  thousands  of  years,  defying  the  storms  of  the  desert 
and  the  lightnings  of  heaven ;  looking  down  in  proud  contempt 
upon  the  fiercer  conflicts  of  human  passion,  as  conquering  na- 
tions have  come  to  deluge  with  blood,  and  heap  with  carnage, 
those  beautiful  plains  above  which  they  lift  their  lofty  heads ! 

MEETING   WITH   THE  ARABS. 

I  had  scarcely  taken  a  survey  of  the  great  structure,  when  at 
least  a  dozen  sturdy  Arabs,  with  loose  trowsers  and  short  robes, 
suddenly  made  their  appearance.  I  gave  them  a  friendly  salu- 
tation, speaking  in  English,  to  which  one  of  them,  apparently 
for  himself  and  company,  responded.  "Want  to  go  up  de 
pyramid?"  said  one  of  them,  in  very  good  English.    "  Well,  I 


128 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


do  n't  know  yet  what  I  shall  want."  "Take  you  up,  take  you 
inside,  all  round,  good."  "How  much  you  ask?"  said  I. 
"  He's  de  sheik,"  pointing  to  one  of  the  best  looking  among 
the  crowd,  who  stood  erect,  holding  the  folds  of  his  old  striped 
blanket  about  him  with  all  the  dignity  of  a  Roman  senator ; 
"he's  de  sheik,  he  make  de  bargains."  I  turned  to  him  with  a 
deferential  air:  "Have  you  charge  of  this  place,  sir?"  "I  am 
sheik  here,  sir;  you  want  to  go  up  to  de  top?"  "Don't  know  ; 
what  you  ask  to  take  me  up ? "  "Five  shillings"  (one  dollar 
and  twenty -five  cents).  "  Five  shillings !  JSTo,  no  !  too  much,  too 
much  ! "  "  How  much  you  tink ? "  "  Some  who  came  here  yes- 
terday only  paid  two  shillings."  "  Dey  berry  bad  men,"  said 
the  sheik,  shaking  his  head.  "  We  take  em  up,  dey  no  pay  us. 
Dey  strike  one  my  men.  Berry  bad  men,  berry  bad."  I  ques- 
tioned him  a  little  farther  about  their  conduct,  and  was  satisfied 
the  visitors  had  themselves  behaved  very  rudely,  and  refused  to 
pay  a  fair  compensation,  and  while  they  came  home  with  such 
reports  of  the  savage  Arabs,  I  found  they  had  left  behind  them 
no  very  high  estimate  of  their  gentility  or  generosity. 

"Five  shillings,"  said  I  again,  "is  too  much."  "How  much 
you  tink?"  said  the  sheik.  Murray's  guide-book  says  four 
shillings  (one  dollar)  is  enough.  "All  de  gemmens  pay  five 
shillings.  Dat  is  de  price.  We  hab  all  one  price."  "Very 
well,  you  have  a  good  looking  set  of  men  here.  These  all  your 
men?"  "  Yes,  all  good,  all  help."  "Good  looking  men,"  con- 
tinued I.  "  I  think  you  mean  to  do  right."  I  saw  I  was  win- 
ning upon  his  good  opinion.  "All  good,"  said  the  sheik. 
"Five  shillings?"  said  I  again.  "Five  shillings,"  said  the 
sheik.  "Five  shillings  and  no  backsheesh?"  said  I,  inquiring- 
ly. "No  backsheesh,"  said  the  sheik.  This  was  an  important 
point.  "  Very  well,  take  me  up,  bring  me  down  " — I  was  care- 
ful to  put  this  in,  for  sometimes,  if  the  bargain  is  made  carelessly, 
they  will  take  the  traveler  to  the  top,  and  then  refuse  to  help 
him  down  without  extra  pay,  saying  they  only  agreed  to  take 
him  up.  "  Take  me  up  and  bring  me  down,  and  take  me  inside 
and  all  around,  and  I  will  give  five  shillings,  and  no  backsheesh." 
"  Tieb,  tieb ! "  said  the  sheik.  "  Tieb,  tieb ! "  responded  the  men. 
That  is,  good,  good !  or,  in  Yankee  phrase,  all  right !    "  Now,  I 


CLIMBING    THE    PYRAMIDS.  129 

want  two  men  and  no  more  to  go  with  me."  Sometimes  three 
or  four  will  hang  around  a  traveler,  and  then  clamor  for  a  back- 
sheesh. "  I  want  only  two  men,  good  ones,"  said  I  to  the  shiek. 
"  All  good,  which  you  please  ?  "  I  glanced  round  the  company, 
fixed  my  eye  on  two  good  natured  looking  fellows,  one  of  whom 
had  frequently  put  in  some  very  good  English  while  I  was 
talking  with  the  sheik.  "I'll  have  that  man  and  that  one." 
"  Tieb ! "  And  the  two  started  out  and  led  the  way  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  structure,  apparently  pleased  at  being 
thus  honored.    And  now  for 

THE   ASCENT   OF  CHEOPS. 

The  removal  of  layer  after  layer  of  stones  from  the  outside 
of  the  structure,  of  which  we  have  before  spoken,  has  reduced 
it  to  the  condition  of  an  immense  stairway.  In  some  places 
the  stones  have  been  taken  out  to  a  much  greater  depth  than 
others,  giving  it  a  ragged  and  uneven  appearance.  These  steps 
are  from  two  to  three  feet  high,  corresponding  to  the  "thickness 
of  the  original  layers  of  stone.  Of  these  layers  or  tiers  of  stone 
there  are  two  hundred  and  six.  The  ascent  is  not  difficult,  but 
quite  fatiguing,  especially  if  one  attempts  to  hurry.  Agile  per- 
sons, accustomed  to  climbing,  have  been  known  to  ascend  to 
the  top  in  eight  to  ten  minutes,  but  the  time  usually  occupied 
is  from  fifteen  minutes  to  half  an  hour.  My  guides  were  anx- 
ious to  impress  me  with  the  importance  of  their  services,  but  I 
refused  their  hands  and  commenced  the  ascent  aloi^e,  one  run- 
ning before  me,  the  other  behind.  I  found  it  indeed  a  giant 
stairway.  The  strides  were  long  and  fatiguing.  Having 
reached  an  ascent  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  and  gained  a  broad  plat- 
form in  one  corner  of  the  structure,  I  stopped  to  rest.  My 
guides  were  very  communicative,  and  we  chatted  together  in 
great  glee.  Another  ascent  of  about  the  same  distance,  and 
another  rest.  I  looked  out  at  this  hight  upon  the  broad  plain 
that  stretched  away  before  me ;  there  was  something  exhilara- 
ting in  the  air,  and  in  the  scene,  and  I  shouted  with  my  Arab 
companions  in  boyish  glee.  By  this  time  I  was  quite  out  of 
breath,  and  was  glad  to  avail  myself  of  the  assistance  of  my 
swarthy  companions.    One  took  my  right  hand,  the  other  my 


ISO 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


left,  and  stepping  before  me  up  the  rocks,  pulled  me  after  them. 
On  we  went  with  great  rapidity,  they  almost  literally  lifting 
me  from  step  to  step. 

AN   ARAB  SONG. 

As  we  got  well  under  way,  they  broke  out  into  a  kind  of  a 
wild,  extemporaneous  song,  a  strange  mixture  of  Arabic  and 
English,  highly  complimentary  and  suggestive — the  closing 
stanza  winding  up  as  follows  : 

Ya  ah,  ya  ah,  y  a  a  ha ! 
Away,  away,  and  up  we  go; 
American  gentleman  berry  good  man, 
Give  us  backsheesh,  ya  ah  ha! 
Yankee  doodle  dandy ! 

Thus  up,  and  up,  and  up  we  went,  occasionally  stopping  to 
rest,  questioning  and  being  questioned.  I  made  quite  free  with 
my  assistants,  praised  their  skill  and  agility „  and  they  in  turn 
had  compliments  in  broken  English  for  America  and  American 
gentleman.  On  we  went,  occasionally  their  song  breaking  out 
in  wild  animation,  sometimes  with  the  variation  of 

"  Jack  and  Gill  went  up  the  hill." 

I  found  they  were  quite  well  posted  in  American  literature, 
and  had  I  been  an  Englishman,  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  they 
would  have  sung  "  God  save  the  Queen  "  with  equal  grace.  I 
saw  they  were  fully  as  anxious  to  please  me  as  I  was  them, 
though  our  motives  might  have  been  very  different;  I  was 
thinking  of  my  personal  safety,  they,  of  the  backsheesh.  At 
last  we  were  on  the  summit!  A  few  moments  rest  and  I  began 
to  look  about  me,  pondering  on  the  strangeness  of  my  location, 
observing  the  magnitude  of  the  stones,  and  the  numerous 
names  in  many  languages  carved  upon  them. 

The  barbarian  Caliphs  that  laid  their  ruinous  hands  on  this 
noble  structure,  and  quarried  from  its  capacious  sides,  have  not 
spared  even  the  pinnacle  of  the  enormous  edifice.  From  thirty 
to  fifty  feet  of  its  top  has  been  torn  away,  and  you  are  sur- 
prised to  find  that  what  from  the  ground  looked  like  a  point 
high  in  the  air,  too  small  for  a  man  to  stand  upon,  is  a  broad 
base  or  platform,  thirty-two  feet  across.    I  was  surprised  at 


ON    THE    TOP   OF    THE  PYRAMIDS. 


131 


the  magnitude  of  the  stones  even  at  this  great  hight — two  to 
three  feet  thick  and  several  feet  long.  What  an  immense  labor 
it  must  have  been  to  elevate  such  masses  of  stone  to  such  a  vast 
distance  from  the  ground ! 

REFLECTIONS    UPON   THE   TOP   OF  CHEOPS. 

Once  upon  the  summit,  I  gave  myself  up  to  the  emotions  and 
the  enthusiasm  the  place  was  calculated  to  awaken  and  inspire 
First,  like  Moses  from  the  top  of  Pisgah,  I  took  a  survey  of  the 
land,  that,  like  a  great  panorama,  lay  in  its  variety  and  beauty 
at  my  feet.  There  was  the  green  valley  of  the  Nile,  stretching 
away  up  and  down  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  opening  its 
fertile  bosom  to  the  beautiful  heavens,  welcoming  the  floods  of 
golden  sunlight  that  came  streaming  down  from  a  cloudless 
sky.  Along  the  line  of  the  valley  could  be  traced  for  many 
miles  the  majestic  and  wonderful  river,  winding,  like  a  great 
serpent,  its  voluminous  folds  in  strength  and  dignity  as  it  rolled 
onward  to  its  ocean  home.  Away  yonder  in  the  distance  were 
the  Arabian  hills,  skirting  the  barren  desert  that  lay  in  bleak 
sterility  beyond.  JSTearer  by,  the  Mokuttam  hills  and  the  quar- 
ries of  Masarah,  from  whence  the  mountain  of  stone  upon 
which  I  was  standing  had  been  chiseled,  and  the  eye  could 
trace  the  long,  laborious  distance  over  which  the  great  cause- 
way was  built  upon  which  these  stones  were  transported". 
ISTearer  by,  an  attractive  spot  upon  the  landscape,  was  the  great 
city,  Grand  Cairo,  its  walls,  its  great,  gray,  towering  citadel,  its 
mosques  and  multitude  of  minarets.  Around  my  feet,  and 
away  to  the  south  and  west,  was  the  vast  expanse  of  the  Lybian 
desert,  presenting  in  its  sullen  and  gloomy  sterility  a  striking 
contrast  with  the  fertile  valley  that  bloomed  by  its  side.  Then 
I  turned  and  looked  down  upon  the  battle-field  where  Bona- 
parte, with  thirty  thousand  men,  met  Murad  Bey,  where  the 
memorable  "Battle  of  the  Pyramids"  was  fought,  where  Bo- 
naparte inspired  his  men  with  valor  by  pointing  to  these  mon- 
uments, exclaiming:  "Forty  centuries  are  looking  down  upon 
you  from  those  mighty  structures ! "  The  thunder  of  the  battle 
ceased,  the  smoke  cleared  away,  thousands  were  left  dead  upon 
the  field,  and  the  triumphant  Bonaparte  camped  within  the 


132  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

walls  of  Cairo.  I  could  scarce  persuade  myself  that  those 
green  fields,  now  so  smiling  and  beautiful,  had  been  the  theatre 
of  such  scenes  of  carnage. 

Then  History  came  and  lifted  the  gates  of  memory,  and 
opened  long  vistas  through  the  winding  and  intricate  mazes  of 
the  past.  I  saw  the  wandering  tribes  from  Shinar  emigrating 
to  these  fertile  vales.  Here,  shut  in  by  sea  and  desert,  they 
could  pursue  their  peaceful  avocations.  In  their  settled  habit- 
ations, industry  became  a  necessity,  and  of  industry  art  and 
science  were  born.  My  imagination  re-peopled  their  cities,  re- 
built their  ruined  temples  and  altars,  and  I  saw  Egypt  in  her 
pomp  and  pride,  splendor  and  glory.  As  I  gazed,  a  change 
came  over  the  vision  of  the  valley,  clouds  gathered  upon  her 
glory,  and  beneath  the  devastating  hand  of  ruin,  her  magnifi- 
cence and  splendor  faded  away.  Alas !  how  changed,  how  fall- 
en !  Who  cannot  read  upon  her  ruined  cities,  crumbling  tem- 
ples and  plundered  tombs,  the  handwriting  of  God?  Who 
cannot  read,  deeply  traced  in  unmistakable  lines  upon  all 
around  him,  the  fulfillment  of  the  ancient  prophetic  declara- 
tions :  "  The  sword  shall  come  upon  Egypt,  and  they  shall  take 
away  her  multitude,  and  her  foundations  shall  be  broken 
down ; "  "  They  also  that  uphold  Egypt  shall  fall,  and  the  pride 
of  her  power  shall  come  down,  *  *  *  and  they  shall  be 
desolate  in  the  midst  of  the  countries  that  are  desolate,  and  hei 
cities  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  the  cities  that  are  wasted  "  ?  Eze- 
kiel  xxx. 

A   BOTTLE  BOY. 

My  reflections  were  suddenly  broken  by  a  little,  ragged  urchin, 
a  genuine  sappling  of  Arab  stock,  who  thrust  an  Egyptian  pot- 
tery bottle  into  my  face.  "Water,  sah?  Water?  Nile  water, 
good  water,  sweet  water.  Got  him  right  out  de  Nile."  It  was 
not  the  first  time  I  had  seen  the  little  scamp.  He  started  with 
us  upon  our  ascent,  bottle  in  hand,  and  most  persistently  per- 
served  in  offering  me  water  every  time  I  stopped  to  take  breath, 
though  I  repelled  him  several  times  with  absolute  rudeness.  It 
was  certainly  kind  of  the  little  barbarian  thus  to  remember  me, 
though  I  could  not  resist  the  impression  that  he  was  thinking 


A    TEA  VELER'S  REGISTER. 


133 


not  so  much  of  my  comfort  as  of  a  backsheesh.  I  was  not 
thirsty,  but  his  interruption  had  the  effect  to  recall  my  wander- 
ing thoughts  and  arouse  me  to  the  necessity  of  finishing  my 
errand.  I  realized  the  strangeness  of  my  position,  yet  I  had 
made  friends  with  my  swarthy  attendants,  and  felt  quite  at  ease 
with  them. 

Cheops  is  a  traveler's  register,  and  many  a  visitor  has  inscribed 
his  name  upon  the  summit.  The  mania  for  this  kind  of  im- 
mortality seems  not  to  have  been  confined  to  actual  visitors.  • 
"When  Chateaubriand  was  in  Egypt  in  1806,  not  being  able  to 
visit  the  pyramids,  he  says:  "I  requested  M.  Caffe,  on  the  first 
opportunity,  to  inscribe  my  name,  according  to  custom,  on  these 
prodigious  tombs ;  for  I  like  to  fulfil  all  the  little  duties  of  a 
pious  traveler."  One  of  my  attendants,  anxious  to  make  him- 
self useful,  smoothed  with  his  rude  knife  a  place  upon  one  of 
the  rocks,  and  I  added  my  name  to  the  many  who  have  here 
"fulfilled  the  pious  duty."  Nothing  now  remained  preparatory 
to  a  descent,  but  to  have 

A   DINNER   UPON   THE   TOP   OP  CHEOPS. 

I  had  arranged  to  bring  my  lunch  with  me,  and  now  spread 
the  cloth  with  due  ceremony.  It  was  not  altogether  a  solitary 
meal.  My  two  attendants  were  close  at  hand,  with  expectant 
looks,  and  the  bottle  boy  felt  called  upon  to  exercise  himself  in 
the  duties  of  his  vocation  with  unremitting  attention.  They 
shared  with  me;  and  not  to  be  outdone  in  generous  hospitality, 
one  of  them  opened  the  loose  folds  of  his  shirt  bosom,  and 
drew  out  a  small  package  of  cotton  cloth,  that  looked  as  though 
it  had  been  dipped  in  a  mud-puddle,  and  dried  in  a  coal  smoke, 
and  unrolling  several  folds,  brought  out  a  large  piece  of  goat's 
milk  cheese,  beautifully  striped  inside  and  out,  commended  its 
excellence,  and  invited  me  to  partake.  Its  party  colors  of  deep 
gray  and  dirty  yellow  were  prima  facia  evidence  of  its  unrefined 
manufacture,  and  anxious  as  I  was  to  reciprocate  every  friendly 
ofiice,  I  was  under  the  painful  necessity  of  politely  declining  to 
partake,  fearing  he  "would  rob  himself."  The  repast  was 
over;  my  associates  were  in  good  humor;  the  bottle  boy  had 
induced  me  to  drink,  and  aware  that  he  had  gained  an  import- 


134 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


ant  advantage  in  his  siege  on  my  copper  coin,  his  countenance 
wore  a  more  cheerful  aspect.  Now  came  the  decisive  time  for 
a  direct  and  open  assault,  which,  I  have  no  doubt,  my  cicerones 
contemplated  from  the  start,  and  for  which  they  had  cunningly 
prepared  the  way  in  the  extemporaneous  songs  to  the  music  of 
which  we  had  kept  time  in  our  ascent.  Laying  aside  all  reserve, 
they  openly  broached  the  question,  and  without  any  circumlocu- 
tion or  figure  of  speech  asked  me  for  a  backsheesh. 

I  had  settled  the  question  in  my  own  mind  before  hand,  not- 
withstanding my  bargain  with  the  sheik,  that  my  attendants 
should  have  an  extra  fee ;  but  not  wishing  to  appear  too  willing, 
for  sometime  I  evaded  a  direct  answer.  At  last  I  said:  "Why, 
I  am  to  pay  the  sheik;  I  suppose  you  get  your  share  of  it? 
How  do  you  manage  that?"  "I  tell  you,"  says  one  :  "We  be 
thirty  men,  all  here  to  wait  on  de  traveler.  He,  de  sheik." 
""Who  appoints  the  sheik?"  said  I.  "De  Pasha."  "So  the  Pasha 
keeps  you  here  to  take  care  of  the  place  and  help  travelers?'' 
"Yes."  "And  who  gets  the  money?"  continued  I.  "Well,  de 
Pasha  he  get  some  first,  den  de  sheik  he  get  some,  den  de  rest 
he  divide  mong  us  all — so  many  no  get  much  pay ;  gib  us  back- 
sheesh, won't  you?"  "Well,  you  are  two  right  good  fellows," 
said  I ;  "you  helped  me  up  all  right.  Now  you  help  me  down, 
take  me  inside,  show  me  all  around,  and  I  will  give  you  a  back- 
sheesh." "How  much  you  gib?"  "I  give  you  one  shilling 
(twenty -five  cents)  each."  "0  gib  us  more."'  "No,  that's 
enough."  "You  gib  him  now?"  "Not  a  single  para  till  we 
get  through,"  said  I,  firmly,  "  then  you  shall  have  him  sure." 
"You  wait  till  we  get  down,  den  de  sheik  he  see;  he  take  him 
all  away,  no  gib  us  noting."  "Til  take  care  of  that;  I'll  see 
the  sheik  don't  know  it."  This  was  satisfactory,  and  we  were 
ready  for 

THE  DESCENT. 

I  found  the  descent  much  more  difficult  and  dangerous  than 
the  ascent,  for  there  was  constant  danger  of  pitching  headfore- 
most down  the  awful  declivity.  Here,  again,  these  treacherous 
Arabs  often  take  the  advantage  of  the  timid  traveler ;  for  some 
persons,  looking  down  from  the  fearful  hights,  become  so  dizzy 


A    FALL    FROM  CHEOPS. 


135 


they  are  completely  at  the  mercy  of  their  guides.  A  day  or 
two  after  my  visit,  they  extorted  from  one  man  about  eight  dol- 
lars before  they  would  consent  to  help  him  any  farther.  On 
his  return  to  Cairo,  he  made  complaint  to  the  governor,  the 
money  was  recovered,  and  the  guilty  parties  punished. 

My  guides,  in  this  perilous  position,  seemed  anxious  to  im- 
press me  with  the  importance  of  their  services,  and  as  we 
looked  down  the  giddy  stairway  one  of  them  said :  "  What  if 
we  let  you  fall?"  "But  you  will  not  let  me  fall,"  said  I,  con- 
fidently, as  I  tightly  clasped  their  hands.  "Did  any  one  ever 
fall  here  ? "  "  Yes,  one  man  he  fall.  He  stingy.  No  pay  for  de 
guide.  He  fall  down,  down,  down,  way  to  de  bottom.  Smash 
him  all  in  little  pieces."  I  suppose  this  was  their  version  of  the 
»  story  of  an  English  officer,  who,  some  years  since,  on  his  way 
home  from  India,  visited  this  place.  He  ascended  in  company 
with  a  friend  to  the  top,  and  was  walking  around  near  the  edge 
of  the  upper  tier  of  stones,  when  he  suddenly  fell.  The  atten- 
tion of  his  friend  was  immediately  arrested,  he  saw  him  roll 
down  several  steps,  and  as  he  caught  for  a  moment,  his  friend 
met  his  upturned,  imploring  gaze.  It  is  described  as  horrible 
beyond  all  description.  He  caught  and  hung  but  for  a  moment 
on  this  narrow  stairway,  then  pitching  headforemost  over  and 
over  he  rolled,  never  stopping  till  he  had  reached  the  bottom. 
Every  bone  in  his  body  was  broken,  and  he  was  literally 
pounded  to  a  mass  of  jelly.  It  was  supposed  from  subsequent 
developments  the  act  was  intentional. 

VISIT   TO   THE  INTERIOR. 

Our  descent,  thanks  to  kind  Providence,  was  made  in  safety. 
As  we  approached  the  base,  my  guides  led.  the  way  to  the  open- 
ing that  conducts  to  the  interior.  This  entrance  is  on  the  north 
side,  and  about  fifty  feet  above  the  base.  It  is  certainly  a  low, 
miserable  doorway  for  so  magnificent  a  structure;  but  who  ex- 
pects any  but  a  dark  and  dreary  passage  to  the  tomb  ? — for  such 
is  the  place  to  which  this  opening  leads — a  tomb  hidden  in  the 
most  stupendous  pile  of  stones  the  skill  and  labor  of  man  ever 
erected. 

For  an  understanding  of  the  strange  construction  of  the  in- 


136 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


ner  rooms  and  passages  of  this  mighty  receptacle  of  the  dead, 
the  annexed  diagram  will  do  more  than  whole  pages  of  de- 
scription : 


A  section  of  the  Great  Pyramid  of  Cheops,  showing  the  Interior 
Passages  and  Chambers. 


No.  1.  Entrance  on  the  north  side.  2.  Forced  entrance  to  the  passage  leading 
to  the  king's  chamber.  3.  The  well.  4.  Continuation  of  passage  in  the  rock 
under  ground.  5.  Queen's  chamber.  6.  Grand  gallery.  7.  King's  chamber.  8. 
Entresols  or  chambers  above.    More  particular  explanations  are  given  in  the  text. 

The  shaded  part  of  the  drawing*  represents  the  native  bed  of 
limestone  rock  upon  which  the  pyramid  is  built.  We  will  now 
enter  at  No.  1,  following  the  passages  through,  describing 
them  as  we  go.  The  entrance  is  a  low  one,  and  we  have  to 
stoop  nearly  double.  Death  humbles  all  who  visit  his  domin- 
ions. The  masonry  over  this  entrance  is  worthy  of  notice. 
Two  huge  blocks  resting  against  each  other  form  a  pent-roof 
arch.  The  design  of  this  is  supposed  to  be  to  take  off  the  su- 
perincumbent weight  of  the  stones  above.  We  had  entered 
but  a  few  feet  when  we  found  ourselves  involved  in  darkness. 
It  was  rather-  a  strange  sensation  that  came  over  me,  as  I  stood 
in  this  dark,  lone  passage  to  the  sepulchre  of  the  dead,  with 
only  two  reckless,  for  aught  I  knew,  treacherous  Arabs  for  my 
companions,  whose  only  desire  was  to  get  as  large  a  back- 
sheesh out  of  me  as  possible.    We  had  entered  but  a  few  feet 


INTERIOR   OF    THE    PYRAMID.  137 

9 

when  the  last  glimmering  ray  of  light  from  the  narrow  open- 
ing died  away. 

We  stopped  in  the  darkness  of  the  passage,  and  one  of  the 
guides  said  to  me,  in  a  tone  somewhat  of  surprise,  as  though  we 
had  met  an  unexpected  difficulty  :  "  Did  you  bring  any  candles 
with  you?"  I  had  posted  myself  with  regard  to  all  the  tricks 
of  these  wily  fellows,  and  had  learned  that  one  of  them  was, 
when  they  got  into  the  interior,  to  suddenly  extinguish  the  can- 
dles, and  refuse  to  light  them  without  a  backsheesh.  So  I  had 
put  into  my  pocket  some  matches,  and  two  or  three  small  wax 
tapers,  about  as  large  as  a  pipe-stem,  with  which  I  knew  I 
could  find  my  way  out,  and  thus  bring  them  to  terms,  if  they 
attempted  to  desert  me.  I  immediately  drew  one  out  and  lit  it. 
At  first,- they  looked  a  little  perplexed,  then  they  set  up  a  laugh, 
and  made  sport  of  my  puny  little  candle.  Declaring  it  "no 
good,"  they  drew  from  their  pockets  a  couple- of  pieces  of  large 
sized  sperm  candles,  and  having  lighted  them,  we  started  down 
the  narrow,  dismal  passage. 

We  went  down  this  inclined  pathway,  at  an  angle  of  27°, 
about  eighty  feet,  till  we  came  to  No.  2.  Here  your  attention 
is  arrested  by  the  marks  of  violence  upon  the  stone  work'of  the 
interior.  Those  who  opened  the  way  to  these  inner  chambers, 
here  found  the  upward  passage  closed  by  an  immense  granite 
stone,  that  had  evidently  been  fitted  in  from  above.  This  stone 
they  could  not  move,  so  they  forced  a  passage  around  it.  Con- 
tinuing the  descent  down  the  same  inclined  passage  a  few  feet 
farther,  you  come  to  where  it  is  cut  in  the  solid  rock.  Descend- 
ing still  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  from  No.  2  to  4,  you 
come  to  the  lower  mouth  of  what  is  called  the  well,  a  crooked 
passage  leading  upward.  You  still  continue  downward  till 
you  strike  a  horizontal  passage,  and  when  fifty- three  feet  from 
No.  4,  you  stand  in  an  open  subterranean  chamber,  cut  out  of 
the  solid  rock.  From  this  chamber  a  small,  unfinishe.d  passage 
extends  fifty-two  feet  farther — the  object  of  which  is  unknown. 
Beneath  this  room  there  is  also  a  deep  well  or  pit,  which  has 
been  excavated  to  the  depth  of  thirty-six  feet,  but  nothing  of 
interest  was  found.  In  this  chamber  you  are  one  hundred  and 
five  feet  below  the  base  of  the  pyramid.    Herodotus  mentions  a 


4 


138  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

subterranean  canal,  by  which  the  water  of  the  Nile  was  broughi 
into  these  deep  underground  apartments,  but  no  traces  of  any 
such  canal  has  been  discovered. 

Returning  now  to  No.  2,  we  take  the  ascending  passage. 
The  angle  of  this  is  the  same  as  the  other,  27°,  and  all  these 
passages  run  due  north  and  south.  Ascending  a  short  distance, 
the  low,  narrow  passage  along  which  you  make  your  way,  sud- 
denly expands  near  No.  3  into  a  large,  majestic  hall,  called  the 
"  Grand  Gallery."  Just  as  you  enter  this,  another  low  passage 
branches  off  in  a  horizontal  direction,  leading  to  what  is  called 
the  queen's  chamber.  This  chamber  is  smaller  than  the  one 
above  it,  and  is  directly  in  the  center  or  under  the  apex  of  the 
pyramid.  The  passage  leading  to  this  chamber  is  less  than 
four  feet  high,  and  only  three  feet  five  inches  wide.  Here  you 
are  seventy-two  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground,  four  hun- 
dred and  eight  feet  below  the  original  summit,  and  seventy-one 
feet  below  the  floor  of  the  king's  chamber.  Returning  again 
to  No.  3,  just  where  the  passage  branches  off  to  the  queen's 
chamber,  you  find  the  mouth  of  the  well,  which  descends  in  a 
zigzag  course  to  the  subterranean  passage,  No.  4.  Here  also 
you  see  how  the  upward  passage  at  this  point  has  formerly  been 
closed  by  four  huge  portcullises  of  granite,  sliding  in  grooves 
of  the  same  kind  of  stone.  These  ponderous  gateways  closed 
and  concealed  the  upward  entrance.  These  obstacles  have  now 
been  removed,  and  you  may  continue  your  ascent  upward  along 
the  grand  gallery,  No.  <3,  until  you  enter  No.  7, 

THE   KING'S  CHAMBER. 

This  is  the  grand  apartment,  and,  no  doubt,  the  great  sepul- 
chral room  of  this  astonishing  structure.  The  length  of  this 
chamber  is  thirty-four  feet  four  inches;  the  breadth,  seventeen 
feet  seven  inches;  the  hight,  nineteen  feet  two  inches.  The 
upper  ceiling  is  flat,  composed  of  huge  blocks  of  granite,  laid 
across  from  wall  to  wall;  the  sides  are  also  cased  with  granite 
slabs,  finely  polished,  and  the  joints  very  closely  fitted  together. 
Immediately  over  this  chamber  are  several  smaller  ones,  No.  8. 
The  ascent  to  them  is  by  means  of  small  holes  cut  into  the  wall 
at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  great  gallery.    These  rooms  are 


INTERIOR    OF    THE  PYRAMID. 


139 


only  three  or  four  feet  high,  and  their  only  use  seems  to  be  to 
relieve  the  roof  of  the  king's  chamber  from  the  heavy  pressure 
of  stone  that  would  otherwise  rest  upon  it  from  above.  In 
these  small  chambers  are  found  the  only  inscriptions  that  have 
yet  been  discovered  in  any  part  of  this  great  edifice.  These 
are  hieroglyphics  painted  on  the  stones  with  red  ocher.  They 
were  evidently  written  upon  the  blocks  before  they  were  laid 
in  their  places,  for  some  of  them  are  turned  upside  down,  and 
in  some  the  inscriptions  are  partly  covered  by  the  other  stones 
about  them.  These  inscriptions  settle  a  question  that  has 
sometimes  been  disputed;  they  prove  that  the  hieroglyphics  are 
older  than  the  pyramids.  Among  them  is  found  the  name  of 
Cheops,  after  whom  this  pyramid  is  named,  and  by  whom  it 
is  supposed  to  have  been  built. 

THE    AGE    OF    THE  PYRAMIDS 

Has  also  been  a  disputed  question,  and  some  have  assigned 
to  them  an  astonishing  antiquity.  Dr.  Seyffarth,  w^ho  has  be- 
stowed almost  a  lifetime  upon  Egyptian  antiquities,  and  who 
reads  the  hieroglyphics  with  great  facility,  gives  us  some  new 
and  interesting  facts  about  names  and  dates.  Lepsius  placed 
the  building  of  the  pyramids  before  the  flood!  Manetho,  as 
some  interpret  him,  assigns  to  some  of  these  monuments  an 
antiquity  completely  astounding,  giving  us  a  line  of  kings  and 
a  series  of  events  reaching  over  more  than  thirty-six  thousand 
years  from  the  creation  to  the  Christian  era !  How  then,  it  has 
been  asked,  can  the  Mosaic  record  be  true  ?  Some  of  the  con- 
clusions reached  by  Seyffarth  in  his  investigations,  and  for 
which  he  finds  good  authority,  are  as  follows :  That  the  ante- 
diluvians had  a  written  language,  and  were  acquainted  in  as- 
tronomy, with  the  present  zodiac,  and  that  the  knowledge  of 
these  were  transmitted  by  E"oah  to  his  posterity ;  that  all  the 
languages  in  the  world  were  derived  from  the  Hebrew,  the 
original  language,  as  can  be  proved  from -the  names  and  forms 
of  the  letters  of  different  ancient  alphabets,  and  from  the  lan- 
guage of  the  ancient  Egyptians;  that  Noah  re-arranged  the 
original  alphabet,  causing  the  letters  to  correspond  to  the  plan- 


140 


EGYPT    AJ^L>  SINAI. 


etary  configuration  of  the  zodiac  at  the  time  of  the  deluge ; 
thus  incontrovertibly  fixing  the  time  of  its  occurrence. 

These  planetary  configurations  found  upon  the  interior  of 
tombs,  the  walls  of  temples  and  other  monuments,  are  among  the 
wonderful  discoveries  that  have  recently  been  brought  to  light. 
It  consisted  in  recording  the  date  of  an  important  event,  as,  for 
instance,  the  dedication  of  a  temple,  the  reign  or  death  of  a 
king,  by  simply  tracing  upon  the  walls  of  the  temple,  or  over 
the  figure  of  the  king,  or  on  the  sarcophagus,  the  position  the 
constellations  and  planets  occupied  in  the  zodiac  at  that  partic- 
ular juncture ;  and  as  every  astronomer  knows,  so  slow  are  the 
revolutions  of  those  fixed  stars,  they  have  occupied  such  posi- 
tion but  once  since  the  creation,  and  will  not  occupy  such  posi- 
tion again  for  thousands  of  years  to  come;  and  any  one  accus- 
tomed to  calculate  ,the  movements  of  these  bodies  can  tell  pre- 
cisely the  date  of  any  such  given  configuration.  A  few  years 
since,  Dr.  Seyffarth  lectured  upon  Egyptian  antiquities  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri ;  Professor  Mitchell,  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
astronomers  of  the  day,  was  present.  He  heard  the  Doctor 
state  that  he  found  on  an  Egyptian  sarcophagus  in  the  London 
museum  a  planetry  diagram,  by  which  he  knew  the  burial  took 
place  in  the  fall  of  1722  B.  C.  Professor  Mitchell,  on  returning 
home,  commenced  an  astronomical  calculation,  and  made  a  di- 
agram of  the  position  of  the  stars  for  the  autumnal  equinox 
of  1722  B.  C.  Doctor  Seyffarth  received  it,  compared  it  with 
the  one  upon  the  Egyptian  sarcophagus,  and  found  that  the  po- 
sition of  the  heavenly  bodies  in  the  two  corresponded  in  every 
particular ! 

But  to  go  on  with  his  enumerations :  That  more  or  less  of  the 
original  revelations  were  preserved  among  all  ancient  nations, 
and  that  the  true  God  was  for  a  long  time  worshiped,  but  that 
the  worship  of  inferior  creatures  ultimately  relapsed  into  total 
idolatry;  in  confirmation  of  which,  he  gives  us  extracts  from 
ancient  papyrus  rolls,  taken  from  the  oldest  tombs  of  Egypt, 
containing  the  ancient  sacred  books  of  the  Egyptians,  abound- 
ing in  such  passages  as  the  following — a  translation  from  an 
old  papyrus  roll  taken  from  an  ancient  tomb  and  now  in  a  muse- 
um at  Turin.    Title:  "  This  is  the  book  of  prayers  for  the  praise 


RELIGION    AND    CHEONOLOGY.  141 

of  the  Lord  Lord,  who  has  resolved  to  create  servants  serving 
the  eternal  counselor,  the  creator  of  all  things."  Selections: 
"There  is  a  Most-Holy  one,  a  creator  of  the  fullness  of  the 
earth,  a  ruler  of  days.  I  am  the  God  of  gods,  the  exalted 
maker  of  the  planets,  and  of  the  hosts  which  are  praising  me 
above  thy  head,  and  the  creator  of  the  exalted  race  of  the 
mighty  princes  and  governors;  (I)  who  sit  in  judgment;  the 
Most-Holy  one  who  condemns  the  wicked."  "I  am  myself  the 
world,  the  judge  of  every  deed ;  myself  the  light  (i.  e.  the  sun) 
that  convicts  the  evil  doer;  myself  the  king,  the  preserver  of 
the  laws  of  Egypt,  who  dwell  at  On,  the  City  of  the  Sun."  "I  am 
the  light,  the  son  of  the  primeval  light;  I  dwell  in  the  exalted 
land  of  light,  and  was  born  in  the  land  of  light  (with  me  there 
is  no  night)."  "The  government  is  mine,  who  am  the  Lord, 
who  have  made  my  arm,  my  right  arm,  to  be  dreaded;  the 
Most-Holy  one,  who  hath  trampled  under  foot  the  abode  of  the 
wicked;  who  hath  destroyed  (in  the  deluge)  the  polluted  race 
of  the  world;  who  hath  made  the  children  of  the  deceiver, 
(Satan,)  and  the  insolent  of  the  habitation  of  wickedness  upon 
the  *earth,  to  tremble."  These  are  a  few  extracts  from  many 
translations  made  hy  him,  showing  the  doctrines  of  these  an- 
cient religious  hooks  of  the  Egyptians,  taught  more  than  four 
thousand  years  ago — light  breaking  from  the  ancient  tombs! 
Doctor  Seyffarth  further  shows  that  these  sacred  books,  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  our  race,  were  known  among 
all  *:he  nations  of  antiquity,  and  were  the  source  of  the  tradi- 
tions of  creation,  the  fall  of  man,  the  flood,  etc.,  that  are  now 
>  found  scattered  among  the  different  races  of  men  over  the  face 
of  the  whole  earth,  even  where  the  Bible  has  been  unknown. 
He  also  proves  by  fourteen  of  these  planetary  configurations, 
found  upon  different  monuments,  that  Menes  did  not  take  pos- 
session of  Egypt  until  2781  B.  C,  during  the  life  of  Phaleg, 
six  hundred  and  sixty-six  years  after  the  deluge — the  chronolo- 
gy of  these  configurations  corresponding  with  the  Septuagint. 
He  also  enumerates  all  the  particularly  remarkable  kings,  from 
Menes  down  to  Herodotus,  for  which,  also,  he  has  the  authority 
of  that  celebrated  historian — Mceris,  1777  B.  C;  after  him  his 

son.  Sesostris  (Osymanda),  1731  B.  C;  then  Pheron  (liameses 
9 


142 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


the  Great),  1094  B.  C;  then  Proteus,  at  the  time  of  the  Trojan 
war;  thenRhampsiu.it;  then  Cheops,  the  supposed  builder  of 
this  structure;  then  Chephren,  who  built  the  pyramid  that 
stands  by  its  side.  This  chronology,  Seyffarth  assures  us,  is 
confirmed  by  the  astronomical  observations  and  planetary  con- 
figurations recorded,  and  which  can  now  be  seen  upon  Egyp- 
tian monuments. 

If  these  chronological  conclusions  are  right,  then  many 
former  perplexing  errors  are  corrected,  the  dates  of  important 
events  are  incontrovertibly  settled,  the  fables  and  marvelous  le- 
gends with  which  some  had  invested  the  early  history  of  this 
land  are  cleared  away,  Manetho's  thirty  thousand  years  are  all 
brought  within  the  limits  of  our  established  records,  and  we 
learn,  also,  that  the  pyramids  were-  not  built  before  the  crea- 
tion! they  were  not  built  before  the  flood!  they  were  not  built 
before  writing  was  invented !  they  were  not  here  when  Abra- 
ham visited  Egypt,  and  this  one,  at  least,  was  not  built  by  the 
children  of  Israel,  indeed,  was  not  erected  until  about  the  close 
of  the  Trojan  war,  and  about  the  time  that  David  was  king 
over  Israel.  Thus  it  is  that  light  seems  to  be  springing  up  from 
the  ruin  and  darkness  of  the  past;  from  these  moldering  re- 
mains of  antiquity,  voices  are  heard  vindicating  the  revelations 
of  God  to  man. 

I  trust  I  shall  not  diminish  the  interest  with  which  we  look 
upon  this  wonderful  structure,  by  thus  clipping  off  a  few  thous- 
and years  from  its  antiquity.  It  is  still  a  venerable  and  hoary 
pile,  and  we  contemplate  it  with  awe  and  reverence.  But  I 
forget  where  we  are;  I  am  detaining  you  too  long  in  this  dark 
chamber,  with  its  suffocating  atmosphere  and  its  gloomy  asso- 
ciations. There  is  but  one  thing  more  for  us  to  notice  particu- 
larly— 

THE   OLD    GRANITE  SARCOPHAGUS. 

It  is  the  only  piece  of  furniture  the  chamber  contains — a  chest 
of  red  granite,  chiseled  from  a  solid  block.  It  measures  outside, 
seven  feet  five  inches  in  length,  three  feet  two  inches  in  breadth, 
three  feet  three  inches  deep,  and  its  sides  between  four  and  five 
inches  thick.    Its  size  is  just  about  equal  to  the  doorway,  but 


THE    OLD  SARCOPHAGUS. 


143 


larger  than  the  passage  leading  to  the  room,  so  that  it  must 
have  been  placed  here  when  the  room  was  built.  Was  it  for 
this  sarcophagus  this  stupendous  pile  of  stone  was  erected  t 
That  this  great  monument  was  intended  for  the  dead  seems  evi- 
dent, and  this  is  the  only  tomb  found  within  it.  And  what  has 
become  of  the  lordly  occupant?  When,  and  by  whom  was  it 
filled,  and  when  did  it  give  up  its  treasure?  There  it  stands, 
in  mute  and  mock  defiance  of  every  effort  to  ascertain  the  his- 
tory of  its  owner.  I  turned  again  and  again  to  view  that 
carious  old  granite  chest.  Like  the  tomb  of  Joseph  after  the 
morning  of  the  resurrection,  it  was  empty;  the  stone  had  been 
rolled  away  from  the  door,  but  no  angel  sat  upon  it  to  give  the 
anxious  visitor  tidings  of  its  occupant.  Whose  dust  was  de- 
posited here,  and  what  ruthless  hands  had  invaded  the  sanctity 
of  the  tomb?  I  stood  by  its  side,  laid  my  hands  upon  it,  and 
gazed  into  it  with  a  long,  deep,  earnest  look! 

One  of  my  guides  seeing  me  thus  interested  in  the  old  tomb, 
ventured  to  speak:  "You  like  to  hab  piece  ob  dat?"  I  looked 
at  it.  Rude  hands  had  hammered  at  it  till  every  edge  and  cor- 
ner had  been  rounded  off  by  the  perpetual  chipping.  "What 
sacrilegious  visitants/'  thought  I.  "But,  then,  what  harm?  and 
why  may  not  I  share  with  others?  When  I  set  up  my  little 
cabinet  of  curiosities  away  near  seven  thousand  miles  from  this, 
will  it  not  be  pleasant  to  add  to  the  collection  a  little  splinter 
from  this  old  granite  sarcophagus — a  little  bit  of  the  tomb  of 
Cheops,  from  the  great  valley  of  the  Nile,  transported  to  the 
great  valley  of  the  father  of  waters  in  the  West,  where,  too,  are 
buried  cities  and  monumental  mounds,  still  wrapped  in  pro- 
founder  mystery!  Ah!  little  did  that  great  monarch  think, 
when  he  built  this  mighty  mausoleum,  with  its  secret  winding 
passages  and  intricate  chambers,  and  had  his  mortal  remains  so 
carefully  laid  away  and  wonderfully  walled  in,  that  curious 
travelers,  from  a  then  far  off'  and  unknown  world,  would  come 
and  gaze  upon  his  empty  sepulchre,  and  wonder  who  had  been 
its  occupant!" 

Thoughts  like  these  passed  rapidly  through  my  mind,  while 
the  tall  Arab  stood  leaning  towards  me  waiting  for  my  answer. 
"I'd  give  a  dime  for  a  piece  of  it,"  said  I,  as  if  awaking  from 


144 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


a  reverie.  He  vanished  into  a  dark  corner  of  the  chamber,  and 
immediately  appeared  again  with  a  stout  bowlder  in  his  hand  : 
tapped  the  chest  gently  at  first  to  show  how  clear  and  musical, 
like  a  bell,  it  would  ring;  then  he  pounded  away  at  it  with  as 
little  compunction  as  though  it  had  been  a  piece  of  rough 
granite  in  the  quarry.  The  reverberations  rung  like  a  death- 
knell  through  the  lofty  chamber  and  along  the  arched  galle- 
ries. I  almost  trembled,  as  if  expecting  some  slumberiug 
genii  of  the  place  would  be  aroused,  and  come  with  demon 
fury  to  avenge  the  insult  to  the  shades  of  the  departed.  The 
work  was  completed ;  a  small  bit  of  the  red  granite  was  placed 
in  my  hand,  and  I  passed  back  the  promised  pledge.  He  took 
the  dime,  rolled  it  in  his  fingers — a  thought  struck  him.  "We 
got  no  small  money.  We  can't  divide  him.  Gib  us  another, 
will  you?"  Surrounded  by  so  much  greatness,  I  was  not  dis- 
posed to  stand  upon  trifles,  and  I  handed  him  the  second  dime. 
I  was  now  ready  to  go,  but  my  guides  had  another  act  in  the 
drama  to  perform.    They  wanted  to  show  me  the  wonderful 

ECHO   OP   THE  CHAMBER. 

One  of  them  uttered  a  long,  clear,  musical  note.  It  rever- 
berated from  side  to  side,  from  roof  to  floor,  and  floor  to  roof; 
and  came  back,  echo  after  echo,  from  the  long  gallery,  until  it 
seemed  as  if  a  hundred  voices  had  conspired  to  prolong  the 
sound.  Then  the  two  set  in  for  an  extemporaneous  song.  It 
was  in  part  like  the  one  to  the  music  of  which  we  had  as- 
cended the  outside,  except  an  addition  to  the  chorus,  not  only 
complimentary,  but  intended  to  remind  me  of  my  backsheesh 
pledge.    It  closed  as  follows : 

American  gentleman  bery  good  man, 
Give  us  backsheesh,  not  tell  sheik, 
Yankee  doodle  dandy. 

THE  EGRESS. 

My  visit  was  over.  Along  the  close  and  suffocating  pathway 
we  climbed,  and  just  as  the  light  of  day  came  stealing  into  the 
gloomy  recess,  my  guides  again  stopped.  "De  sheik  he  no 
pay  us  for  dese  candles;  we  get  em  oursef.    Gib  us  dime." 


PARTING    WITH    THE    ARABS.  145 

This  seemed  reasonable,  and  as  I  had  started  with  the  intention 
of  paying  iny  way  through,  and  making  friends  with  these 
genii — no,  geniuses — of  the  place,  I  promptly  paid  over  the 
coveted  dime.  Again  we  stood  upon  the  outside  steps.  I  took 
long,  deep  draughts  of  the  fresh,  pure  air,  and  rejoiced  at  my 
release  from  the  dark  and  stifling  chambers  within.  Again  I 
opened  my  purse,  and  each  Arab  received  with  a  bow  and  a 
thank  'e  his  promised  shilling — backsheesh.  A  few  minutes 
more,  and  we  were  face  to  face  with  the  sheik,  at  the  corner  of 
the  great  pile  where  we  first  started  on  our  strange  expedition. 
He  met  me  with  a  dignified  air  and  pleasant  smile :  "  How  you 
like  him?"  "Very  well,"  said  I;  "great  place;  very  good 
men.  I  owe  you  five  shillings."  "Yes."  I  placed  the  silver 
in  his  hand;  he  received  it  with  a  complacent  smile,  and  trans- 
ferred it  to  his  purse,  and  to  my  great  surprise,  and  true  to  his 
agreement,  put  in  no  claim  for  a  backsheesh — the  first,  and  I  " 
believe  the  only  Arab  I  dealt  with,  that  was  content  with  his 
stipulated  wages. 

Taking  out  my  memorandum  book,  "Now,"  said  I,  "I  am 
going.  I  want  the  names  of  these  two  men  and  your  own,  that 
I  may  remember  you  when  I  get  to  America."  At  this  they 
seemed  much  pleased.  "Your  name?"  "Abdallah  Said." 
"Yours?"  "Abbara  Said."  Then  turning  to  the  governor, 
"  Sheik  Allah,  superintendant,"  said  he.  I  saw  he  was  proud 
of  his  title  and  position,  and  so  I  put  it  all  down.  We  shook 
hands  and  parted  good  friends,  and  the  remembrance  of  my 
visit  to  the  great  pyramid,  and  my  reception  and  treatment  by 
its  Arab  attendants,  will  ever  be  accompanied  with  pleasant  as- 
sociations. It  was  so  different  from  what  most  travelers  report, 
I  am  almost  persuaded  to  believe  that  the  poor  fellows  are 
either  greatly  libeled,  or  that  travelers  are  greatly  at  fault  in 
their  own  conduct.  As  I  turned  away,  another  question  occu- 
pied my  mind : 

WHY   WERE   THESE   PYRAMIDS  BUILT? 

There  has  been  much  speculation  upon  this  subject.  That 
they  were  built  for  tombs  is  very  evident.  The  place  where 
they  stand — in  the  very  midst  of  a  city  of  tombs — the  sar- 


146 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


cophagi  found  in  the  inner  chambers,  and  other  reasons  that 
might  be  mentioned,  all  seem  to  indicate  that  this  was  their 
primary  design.  But  while  this  was  their  main  object,  they 
might,  as  has  been  suggested,  have  served  for  other  purposes. 
Some  say  they  were  intended  to  aid  in  astronomical  observa- 
tions. They  do  not,  however,  appear  to  have  been  intended  for 
observations,  for  the  tops  were  pointed,  and  the  outsides  covered 
with  a  smooth  casing,  to  prevent  access  to  them.  They  stand 
exactly  due  north  and  south,  and  the  observation  of  the  sun's 
shadow  might  have  served  to  fix  the  return  of  certain  periods 
of  the  year. 

If  they  are  simply  tombs,  why  built  at  such  enormous  ex- 
pense of  time,  labor  and  money?  We  can  give  no  answer,  only, 
"  To  gratify  the  foolish  ambition  of  kings."  How  much  reli- 
gious superstition,  and  false  notions  of  the  future  well-being  of 
the  soul,  as  connected  with  the  preservation  of  the  body,  had 
to  do  with  it,  we  cannot  tell.  Certain  it  is,  there  seems  to  have 
been  some  most  powerful  motive,  more  so  than  any  mere 
earthly  ones  could  exert,  to  preserve  the  body  from  destruction. 
But  these  questions  are  locked  in  the  impenetrable  secrets  of 
the  past.    Another  question  arises, 

BY    WHOM   WERE   THEY  OPENED? 

This  is  another  of  those  mysteries  that  would  gratify  our  cu- 
riosity, and  yet  might  minister  but  little  to  our  fund  of  useful 
knowledge.  This  piece  of  vandalism  is  attributed,  like  many 
others,  to  the  Caliphs.  They  understood  that  secret  chambers 
existed  in  these  structures,  and  that  valuable  treasures  were 
often  interred  with  the  kingly  occupants  of  these  places.  Ca- 
liph Mamoon  has  the  credit,  or  discredit,  of  opening  this  great 
pyramid,  about  eight  hundred  and  twenty  years  after  Christ. 
His  engineers  commenced  in  the  center  of  the  structure,  and 
forced  a  passage  by  immense  labor  about  one  hundred  feet. 
The  cunning  builders,  supposing  a  passage  would  be  looked  for 
in  the  center,  had  placed  it  about  twenty-three  feet  towards  one 
side.  In  the  efforts  to  penetrate  the  interior,  the  workmen, 
having  forced  their  way  about  one  hunded  feet,  accidentally 
struck  the  real  passage. 


A    RIDDLE  EXPLAINED. 


147 


Access  was  at  last  obtained  to  the  hidden  chamber  and  tomb, 
but  alas!  the  coveted  treasures  were  not  to  be  found.  Some 
earlier  explorer  had  entered  before  the  Caliph,  and  if  the  tomb 
had  ever  contained  any  thing  valuable,  it  had  been  taken  away. 
It  is  said  the  Egyptians  themselves  plundered  many  of  the 
tombs  of  Thebes,  and  this  one  probably  did  not  escape  their  ra- 
pacity. It  is  also  the  opinion  of  some  that  these  immense  piles 
contain  secret  passages  and  hidden  chambers  that  have  not  yet 
been  discovered,  and  that  future  explorations  may  yet  be  re- 
warded by  valuable  and  important  discoveries. 

THE  SPHINX. 

I  now  turned  my  attention  to  a  few  other  interesting  objects 
in  the  immediate  vicinity.  I  had  often  read  of  the  sphinx,  but 
I  found  I  had  formed  a  very  imperfect  conception  of  it.  Come 
with  me  then,  and  look  at  this  great  monster.  But  first  let  us 
talk  about  the  sphinx  in  general,  and  then  examine  this  one 
more  particularly.  The  Sphinx  has  a  prominent  place  in  Gre- 
cian as  well  as  in  Egyptian  mythology,  but  the  Grecian  Sphinx 
appears  to  have  been  quite  different  from  the  Egyptian ;  theirs 
was  a  cruel,  fabulous  monster,  partly  animal,  partly  human, 
sent  by  Juno  among  the  Thebans  to  punish  them  for  some  of 
their  misdeeds.  It  kept  a  portion  of  the  country  under  contin- 
ual alarms,  by  propounding  difficult  enigmas,  and  devouring 
the  inhabitants  if  they- could  not  explain  them.  But  this  cruel 
monster  had  one  vulnerable  point.  It  was  whispered  that  she 
could  not  survive  a  defeat.  She  would  put  an  end  to  herself  if 
one  of  her  riddles  was  explained.  At  last  came  this  enigma : 
"What  animal  walks  on  four  legs  in  the  morning,  two  at  noon, 
and  three  in  the  evening?"  The  terrified  inhabitants  offered  a 
crown  and  the  daughter  of  a  king  for  a  wife  to  any  one  who 
would  solve  it.  At  last  one  Edipus  made  the  discovery  that  man 
walks  on  his  hands  and  feet  when  young,  or  in  the  morning  of 
life;  at  the  noon  of  life,  he  walks  erect;  in  the  evening  of  his 
days,  he  leans  upon  his  staff.  The  Sphinx,  chagrined  at  being 
thus  defeated,  threw  herself  from  a  high  rock  and  expired. 

Such  being  the  end  of  the  Grecian  Sphinx,  we  are  not  to 
look  for  its  resurrection  in  these  Lybian  sands ;  this  is  an  Egyp- 


148 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


tian  Sphinx,  with  disposition  and  qualities  quite  different  from 
the  one  we  have  been  contemplating.  Of  these  singular  stat- 
ues, the  Egyptians  had  many;  they  stood  as  sentinels  along  the 
magnificent  avenues  that  led  to  their  temples.  They  were  the 
head  and  shoulders  of  a  man  upon  the  body  of  a  lion,  sup- 
posed to  represent  the  union  of  intellect  and  strength.  They 
were  of  all  sizes,  from  that  of  a  small  animal  to  the  mighty  co- 
lossus that  now  stands  before  us.  Many  of  these  sphinxes 
have  been  removed  from  Egypt,  and  now  adorn  the  museums 
of  Europe.  One  of  them  I  saw  in  the  Louvre  at  Paris,  twen- 
ty-two feet  long,  carved  from  a  single  block  of  red  granite ;  but 
this  one  is  as  unmovable  as  the  solid  rock  of  the  hill  from 
which  it  is  quarried.    Let  us  approach  and  examine  it. 

We  are  first  struck  with  its  peculiar  formation.  It  stands 
seventeen  hundred  feet  due  east  of  the  second  pyramid,  and 
about  one  thousand  feet  southeasterly  from  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  great  pyramid.  The  great  pyramids  under  whose 
shadows  it  rests,  no  doubt,  much  diminish  the  awe  and  rever- 
ence its  gigantic  proportions  would  otherwise  inspire.  As  you 
come  up  from  the  east  it  stands  directly  facing  you,  looking  out 
towards  the  eastern  sky,  as  if  to  catch  the  first  glimpses  of  the 
golden  sun  of  the  morning.  It  is  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  feet  long ;  from  the  rock  on  which  it  rests  its  lion-like 
breast  to  the  top  of  the  head,  is  fifty-five  feet  nine  inches,  while 
that  massive  head  measures  round  the  forehead  eighty-eight 
feet  seven  inches.  It  is,  like  all  others  of  its  species  found  in 
Egypt,  in  a  recumbent  or  crouching  posture,  and  it  stretches 
out  its  enormous  paws  fifty  feet  in  front  of  its  capacious  breast. 

This  unwieldly  monster,  except  the  paws,  is  a  monolith,  that 
is,  it  is  of  one  piece,  cut  from  the  native  rock  of  the  limestone 
ledge  of  which  it  forms  a  part.  On  the  back,  where  the  origi- 
nal rock  appears  to  have  been  defective,  pieces  of  stone  have 
been  fitted  in.  This  imposing  head  was  adorned  wTith  a  cover- 
ing much  resembling  a  wig,  the  flowing  hair  of  which  can  still 
be  seen  projecting  from  each  side.  Time,  the  driving  sands  of 
the  desert,  and  the  hand  of  violence,  have  left  their  wasting  in- 
fluences on  this  noble  piece  of  art.  The  nose  has  been  nearly 
destroyed,  the  emblematic  horns  that  adorned  the  head  have 


THE    GIGANTIC  SPHINX. 


149 


been  broken  off,  deep  furrows  have  been  plowed  in  the  neck 
and  sides  of  the  face ;  but  there  it  stands,  still  grand,  noble  and 
majestic. 

Several  years  since,  some  scientific  gentlemen,  making  explo- 
rations here,  had  the  sand  and  rubbish  cleared  away,  that  for 
centuries  had  been  accumulating  over  it,  and  beneath  which  it 
was  nearly  buried.  It  was  found  to  rest  upon  a  smooth,  rocky 
platform,  an  altar  standing  between  its  giant  paws.  On  this 
platform  were  scattered  about  fragments  of  altars,  lions,  tablets 
and  other  sculptures,  clearly  indicating  that  here  had  been  a 
sanctuary  to  which  funeral  processions  had  come,  where  sacri- 
fices had  been  offered  and  sepulchral  rites  performed.  It  is 
supposed  that  it  is  the  remaining  one  of  a  pair  of  sphinxes  that 
once  stood  as  guardian  deities,  gracing  the  entrance  to  a  mag- 
nificent avenue  leading  to  the  pyramids.  On  one  of  the  gran- 
ite blocks  found  near  the  feet  of  the  sphinx,  Thothmes  IV.  is 
represented  on  one  side  offering  incense,  on  the  other,  pouring 
out  a  libation  to  the  figure  of  a  small  sphinx.  Pliny  says  this 
great  Sphinx  was  a  local  deity,  and  treated  with  divine  honors, 
not  only  by  priests,  but  by  strangers  who  visited  the  spot.  The 
sands  of  the  desert  have  again  destroyed  every  vestige  of  these 
laborious  excavations.  The  lone  divinity  has  been  re-entombed, 
and  now  stands  with  only  his  head  and  shoulders  above  the 
ground,  like  a  lone  guardian  of  these  sepulchral  regions. 

The  Greeks  of  ancient  days  evidently  had  access  to  this  di- 
vinity of  the  tombs,  for  when  the  excavations  alluded  to  were 
made,  a  Greek  inscription  was  found  cut  upon  one  of  the  paws, 
which  has  been  translated  as  follows : 

"Thy  form  stupendous  here  the  gods  have  placed, 

Sparing  each  spot  of  harvest-bearing  land; 

And  with  this  mighty  work  of  art  have  graced 

A  rocky  isle,  encumbered  once  with  sand, 

And  near  the  pyramids  have  bid  thee  stand :  1 

Not  that  fierce  Sphinx  that  Thebes  erewhile  laid  waste, 

But  great  Latona's  servant,  mild  and  bland, 

"Watching  the  prince  beloved  who  fills  the  throne 

Of  Egypt's  plains,  and  calls  the  Nile  his  own; 

That  heavenly  monarch,  who  his  foes  defies, 

Like  Vulcan,  powerful;  and  like  Pallas,  wise." 


150 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


But  while  this  Sphinx  has  Egyptian  records  on  his  tablets, 
and  names  of  kings  on  his  altars,  and  carved  lessons  in  Greek 
on  his  paws,  has  he  no  homilies  for  us  ?    That  Sphinx  is 

A   GRAVE   OLD  PREACHER. 

There  is  something  solemn  and  impressive  in  those  time-worn 
features ;  marred  and  scarred  as  they  are  by  the  lapse  of  weary 
centuries,  we  gaze  upon  them  with  strange  interest.  Come 
and  sit  down  here  on  these  drifting  sands,  beneath  which  he 
lies  nearly  buried,  and  let  him  talk  to  us. 

"  Once  I  was  a  deity.  The  crown  of  honor  was  on  my  head ; 
a  majestic  temple  opened  for  me  its  sculptured  portals;  the 
emblems  of  worship  were  at  my  feet ;  the  smoke  of  burning 
incense  enveloped  me  in  fragrant  clouds;  oblations  and  sacri- 
fices were  laid  upon  mine  altars,  and  costly  libations  were  poured 
out  by  adoring  multitudes.  Alas  !  how  changed !  My  temple 
has  fallen  into  ruins  about  me.  My  altars  have  been  broken 
and  desecrated  by  ruthless  hands,  and  I  have  been  powerless  to 
repel  or  punish  the  sacrilegious  act.  The  patrons  of  my  shrines 
have  perished  around  me.  I  sa*w  them  borne  to  yonder  great 
monumental  piles,  and  I  could  administer  no  consolation,  nor 
cheer  the  dying  hour  with  a  single  ray  of  hope.  I  saw  the 
monuments  where  they  had  hid  themselves  plundered  before 
my  eyes,  and  I  could  lift  no  hand  to  smite  the  heartless  inva- 
ders of  the  realms  of  death.  I  have  been  the  derision  of  the 
conqueror,  the  scoff  of  the  plunderer;  sacrilegious  hands  have 
smitten  me ;  the  storms  have  plowed  deep  furrows  upon  my  face ; 
I  am  fast  yielding  to  decay,  and  the  ruin  that  has  fallen  upon 
my  companions  and  predecessors  is  settling  down  upon  me. 
The  winds  of  heaven  are  sounding  my  requiem,  and  the  sands 
of  the  desert  are  weaving  over  me  a  tomb.  I  am  no  divinity ! 
I,  too,  must  perish!  I  have  not  saved  others;  I  cannot  save 
myself! " 

Venerable  relic  of  the  past !  thou  hast  been  taught  lessons 
few  have  ever  been  able  to  learn.  Thou  hast  been  taught  to 
know  thyself — the  knowledge  of  thine  own  weakness,  insignifi- 
cance, mortality — and  thou  art  humbled.  But  is  that  all? 
Tell  us,  thou  ancient  chronicler !  as  thou  hast  seen  the  mighty 


THE    SPHINX'S    SEEM  ON. 


151 


tide  of  centuries  sweeping  by,  hast  thou  no  treasured  wisdom 
for  us  children,  who  come  and  sit  at  thy  feet?  What  words  of 
warning  and  instruction  hast  thou?  Where  shall  man  look  for 
light  and  life?    In  what  divinity  can  he  trust?" 

"  Children  of  a  day,  what  sights  I  have  seen !  What  sounds 
I  have  heard!  What  lessons  I  have  learned!  I  saw  all  the 
gods  of  this  land  confounded  and  overthrown!  I  saw  the 
workings  of  that  invisible  hand  that  was  stretched  out  in  Al- 
mighty power!  I  saw  yonder  majestic  river  rolling  through 
those  fertile  plains  in  torrents  of  blood!  I  saw  those  fearful 
flashes  of  lightning,  heard  those  awful  thunders,  and  felt  the 
power  of  that  fierce  storm  of  hail  that  smote  man  and  beast! 
I  heard  the  waitings  that  came  up  from  cottage  and  courtly 
palace  on  that  ghastly  night,  when  the  angel  of  death  un- 
sheathed his  sword  and  walked  in  terror  through  the  land;  our 
gods  were  stripped  of  their  divine  honors,  our  magicians  con- 
founded, our  priests  put  to  confusion !  I  heard  from  the  impe- 
rial palace  of  yonder  ruined  city,  the  confession  these  wonders 
and  judgments  extorted!  It  was  the  triumph  of  the  King  of 
kings,  the  exaltation  of  the  Lord  of  lords.  Yes,  the  Lord  he 
is  God.  He  dwells  not  in  reptiles,  birds  and  beasts.  He  is  not 
in  the  hissing  serpent,  the  sacred  ibis,  the  royal  bull,  nor  yet  in 
sculptured  stone — alas!  how  these  things  have  perished  around 
me  !  He  fills  heaven  above  you  with  glory,  and  the  earth  is  full 
of  his  works.  He  is  more  enduring  than  the  Sphinx,  greater 
than  the  pyramids,  subtimer  than  the  mountains,  infinite  in 
glory,  majesty  and  power."  His  sermon  was  ended.  Farewell ! 
venerable  Mentor !  Well  hast  thou  spoken.  Long-remembered 
and  useful  be  the  lessons  that  have  fallen  from  thy  mute  yet 
eloquent  lips ! 

OTHER  TOMBS. 

These  pyramids  are  only  great  tombs  among  the  myriads  of 
smaller  ones  with  which  they  are  encircled.  The  whole  west- 
ern bank  in  this  vicinity  of  the  green  valley  of  the  Nile,  for 
miles  and  miles,  has  been  consecrated  to  the  repose  of  the  dead. 
Here  are  the  sepulchers  of  kings,  mummy  pits,  ibis  tombs,  and 
rock-hewn  chambers,  for  the  magnificent  sarcophagi  of  Apis 


152 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


bulls.  Here  countless  thousands  have  been  gathered  unto  their 
fathers,  and  the  sands  of  the  desert  are  every  year  burying 
them  deeper  and  deeper. 

The  bottle  boy  had  been  a  close  companion — had  followed 
me  in  all  my  walks — stood  by  my  side  when  I  gazed  on  the 
Sphinx,  and  waited  patiently  for  me  through  all  my  reveries. 
He  was  master  of  a  little  English,  and  very  kind  and  consider- 
ate in  his  attentions.  He  not  only  invited  me  to  drink,  but 
seeing  my  hands  soiled  by  climbing  the  rocks,  offered  to  pour 
water  upon  them ;  picked  up  fossil  shells  and  specimens  of 
stones  for  me,  and  withal  was  so  gentle,  he  won  upon  my  affec- 
tions, and  I  was  pleased  to  have  him  with  me.  His  chances  for 
a  good  backsheesh  were  already  decidedly  favorable.  Turning 
away  from  the  Sphinx,  lie  called  my  attention  to  a  wonderful 
tomb  that  had  just  been  excavated.  It  was  only  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  Sphinx.  The  top  of  thes  ground  had  been 
cleared  away,  the  sand  and  rubbish  all  removed,  leaving  the 
entire  vault  open  to  inspection.  A  large,  square  pit,  about 
twenty-five  feet  each  way,  was  cut  directly  down  into  the  rock 
to  the  depth  of  about  twenty  feet.  Around  this  pit  there  was 
cut,  also  into  the  solid  rock,  a  trench  about  ten  feet  wide,  and  a 
few  feet  deeper  than  the  central  pit — thus  leaving  a  room 
completely  surrounded  by  a  heavy  wall  of  solid  rock.  In  the 
center  of  this  inner  pit  or  room  was  a  large  granite  chest,  cut 
from  a  solid  block,  very  much  like  the  one  I  have  described  in 
the  king's  chamber  of  the  pyramid.  This  was  covered  by  a 
heavy  lid  of  the  same  material.  This  lid  had  been  carefully 
lifted  off  and  set  one  side.  Within  the  chest  lay  the  coffin  or 
real  sarcophagus.  It  was,  in  shape,  very  much  like  our  metallic 
burial  cases.  It  appeared  to  be  carved  from  black  basalt,  and  was 
covered  over  with  hieroglyphical  figures  and  inscriptions,  and 
was  looking  as  clean,  fresh  and  perfect  as  when  first  deposited. 
•It  had  not  yet  been  opened.  Whether  any  thing  would  be 
found  to  reveal  the  name  and  character  of  the  occupant,  and 
when  he  lived,  was  yet  uncertain.  Within  that  sculptured 
chest  was  undoubtedly  sleeping  the  mummied  remains  of  some 
distinguished  personage.  For  thousands  of  years  he  had  en- 
joyed here  the  quiet  sleep  of  the  tomb,  among  his  fathers  and 


ADIEU    TO    THE  PYRAMIDS. 


153 


kindred ;  but  now  his  long,  long  repose  must  be  disturbed,  and 
in  some  far  off  museum,  inquisitive  strangers  would  gaze  upon 
his  blackened  and  withered  features  and  wonder  who  he  was ! 

THE  DEPARTURE. 

We  have  seen  the  wonders  of  the  place — let  us  return  to  the 
base  of  the  pyramid  and  leave  for  home.  Bottle  Boy,  good 
bye !  But  stop — the  backsheesh !  Do  n't  blight  the  hopes  of 
his  yearning,  expectant  heart.  He,  no  doubt,  was  in  hopes  to 
get  a  half  piaster,  perhaps  a  whole  one.  I  had  grown  in  love 
with. the  little  fellow,  and  I  put  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  into  his 
hand.  He  looked  at  it  at  first  with  a  doubtful,  inquisitive  stare, 
as  though  wondering  if  it  was  not  bogus.  Having  assured 
himself  it  was  genuine — for  these  fellows  have  all  a  keen  dis- 
crimination of  money — his  eyes  dilated  almost  to  the  size  of  the 
piece,  a  smile  of  joy  kindled  upon  his  countenance,  and  he 
bounded  away  with  the  lightness  of  a  fawn  to  the  mud  hovel 
he  called  his  home. 

I  found  Hassan  waiting;  and  the  patient  Lily  Bob,  who  had 
been  fasting  all  day  on  the  sixpence  I  gave  his  master  to  buy 
him  some  grass,  pricked  up  his  long  ears  and  looked  at  me  in- 
quisitively, as  much  as  to  say,  "I  would  be  glad  to  leave  this 
barren  place/*'  I  had  scarcely  got  well  under  way  for  home, 
when  I  found  Hassan  in  for 

ANOTHER  TRICK. 

He  certainly  was  an  inventive  genius.  I  had  not  ridden  more 
than  ten  minutes  when  the  boy  suddenly  ordered  a  halt.  Put- 
ting on  a  most  rueful  look:  "0!  I've  left  my  donkey  stick." 
I  quizzed  him  a  little  to  know  what  it  was  and  how  he  had 
lost  it.  He  expressed  the  most  profound  sorrow  at  losing  it. 
44  What  was  it  worth,  Hassan  ? '"'  said  I.  "  0,  I  gib  quarter  dol- 
lar for  him."  I  knew  the  stick  was  an  insignificant  switch,  not 
worth  two  paras,  and  that  the  whole  proceeding  was  a  mere 
ruse  to  move  upon  my  sympathies,  with  the  expectation  that  I 
would  immediately  give  him  a  quarter  to  buy  another  with.  I 
comprehended  his  design  at  a  glance,  and  said,  carelessly: 
"Never  mind,  Hassan ;  I'm  in  no  hurry.    I  can  wait  as  well  as 


154  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

not.  I'll  stop  here ;  you  run  back  and  get  it."  Hassan  turned 
and  looked  back,  as  if  measuring  the  distance  with  his  eye, 
hesitated  a  moment — "  Guess  I  go  home  leab  him." 

The  sun  was  just  dipping  his  golden  disk  beneath  the  west- 
ern horizon,  far  over  the  distant  deserts,  as  we  entered  the 
gates  and  wound  our  way  through  the  narrow,  crowded  streets 
of  Grand  Cairo.  We  crossed  the  Ezbekieh — gained  the  hotel. 
Hassan  was  evidently  chagrined  that  he  had  so  signally  failed 
in  every  attempt  to  cheat  me,  and  received  somewhat  sullenly 
his  two  and  sixpence  wages  and  sixpence  backsheesh,  while  I 
failed  not  to  administer  a  lecture  in  such  English  as  I  thought 
he  could  understand,  upbraiding  him  with  having  lied  to  me 
every  step  of  the  way,  and  assuring  him  that  I  would  not  em- 
ploy him  again  if  I  spent  a  month  in  Cairo. 

I  had  just  time  for  a  bath  and  the  adjustment  of  my  toilet, 
when  the  bell  called  to  supper.  A  hard  day's  toil  gave  addi- 
tional relish  to  the  smoking  viands,  and  refreshed,  I  retired  to  my 
room  to  review  the  day.  My  excursion  had  cost  me  just  three 
dollars  and  a  quarter.  Some  travelers  at  the  hotel  said  it  was 
too  much — that  it  was  a  bad  precedent  to  deal  liberally  with 
the  Arabs,  it  encouraged  extortion.  I  could  not  so  consider  it. 
It  might  have  been  large  pay  for  the  time  and  place,  but  had  it 
been  in  the  vicinity  of  one  of  our  American  cities,  the  livery 
hire  alone  would  have  been  nearly  that  amount.  For  myself, 
I  was  satisfied  ;  I  had  enjoyed  a  pleasant  excursion,  written  my 
name  upon  the  top  of  Cheops,  gazed  into  the  face  of  the  Sphinx, 
and  been  taught  important  moral  lessons — lessons  of  human 
greatness  and  human  littleness.  How  abortive  are  all  attempts 
to  secure  earthly  immortality !  I  put  king  Cheops  by  the  side  of 
paul — the  great  house  of  stone  in  which  the  one  had  hid  him- 
self was  contrasted,  in  my  mind,  with  the  house  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  and  in  the  heavens,  in  which  the  other  hoped  to 
rest;  the  crown  and  treasures  that  barbarian  plunderers  had 
stolen,  with  the  crown  of  righteousness  that  will  never  fade 
away. 


THE    CITY   OF    THE  SUN. 


155 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Excursion  to  Heliopolis  and  the  Petrified  Forest — a  Sun- 
day in  Cairo — Visit  to  the  Court  of  the  Pharaohs. 

Saturday,  February  16.  I  awoke  this  morning  from  a  re- 
freshing sleep.  The  full  orbed  sun  was  looking  in  at  my  win- 
dow, the  songs  of  the  birds  were  awaking  inspiring  echoes 
among  the  tangled  foliage  of  the  Ezbekiek,  and  the  air  was 
fragrant  with  the  perfume  of  the  sweet  flowers  of  the  Orient. 
The  day  is  to  be  devoted  to  an  excursion  to  some  places  of  in- 
terest, a  few  miles  from  the  city.  Breakfast  over,  I  stood  on 
the  steps  of  the  hotel,  and  a  score  of  donkey  boys  were  at  once 
on  hand.  Hassan,  at  the  very  first  glimpse  of  me,  paraded  Lily 
Bob,  looking  as  smiling  and  innocent  as  though  naught  but 
truth  had  ever  kissed  his  lips.  I  would  have  patronized  him, 
forgetting  all  the  past,  but  he  immediately  commenced  his  old 
tricks,  by  assuring  me  most  solemnly  the  places  I  wanted  to 
visit  could  not  be  done  in  a  day,  and  we  must  take  two  days 
for  it.  I  had  posted  myself  as  to  time  and  distance,  and  knew 
he  was  lying  to  me  like  a  reprobate,  and  again  I  poured  out 
my  denunciations  upon  him,  called  him  a  deceitful  rascal,  and 
assured  him  I  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  him.  s 

I  pushed  him  one  side,  and  called  another:  "Can  you  take 
me  to  Heliopolis,  and  then  to  the  petrified  forest — to  both 
places  and  back  to-day  ? M  "  Yes,  sah."  "  And  to  Shoobra  ? " 
"Shoobra,  he  shut  up  now.  We  no  visit  him.  We  go  by 
Shoobra."  "  How  much  you  ask  ?  *  "  Two  and  sixpence.  Dat 
de  price.  All  de  gemmen  he  pay  so  much.  You  get  on,  sah? 
Good  donkey.  He  no  fall  down."  He  held  the  stirrup  of  his 
fancy  saddle ;  in  a  moment  I  was  astride  of  his  little,  clean- 


156 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


shaved  beast,  ready  for  a  gallop.  And  now  come  with  me  and 
I  will  show  you  the  ruins  of  Heliopolis,  the  ancient 

ON,    OR   CITY   OF   THE  SUN. 

The  place  is  six  or  seven  miles  from  Cairo,  nearly  northeast; 
the  ride  a  most  delightful  one.  A  part  of  the  way  you  have  a 
fine,  broad,  paved  road,  and  the  whole  distance  you  are  riding 
through  green  fields  of  corn,  clover  and  various  other  produc- 
tions of  the  luxuriant  soil.  Now  an  orange  grove  opens  upon 
your  sight,  then  an  extensive  vineyard,  while  all  the  time  your 
pathway  is  shaded  by  avenues  of  tamarisk,  fig  and  acacia,  that 
weave  their  branches  in  tangled  arches  above  your  head.  As 
we  approach  the  place,  attention  is  called  to  some  huge  stone 
blocks  near  the  road.  These  are  beautiful  Corinthian  capitals, 
but  the  columns  they  once  graced  have  now  entirely  disap- 
peared. As  you  approach  nearer,  a  beautiful  obelisk  lifts  its 
slender  form  high  into  the  heavens,  standing  in  lone  and  solita- 
ry grandeur,  the  only  monument  left  to  mark  the  site  of  the 
ancient,  opulent  city.  This  monument  the  donkey  boys  con- 
found with  the  name  of  the  ancient  city,  and  call  the  place  He- 
liobolisk.  Around  it  are  numerous  mounds  of  earth;  the  de- 
bris of  ruined  buildings  mixed  with  fragments  of  carved  stone 
and  broken  pottery.  Some  five  or  six  feet  of 'earth  had  accu- 
mulated about  the  base  of  this  obelisk,  but  it  has  now  been 
removed,  so  as  to  reveal  its  full  length.  It  is  a  single  shaft  of 
red  granite,  sixty-eight  feet  two  inches  high,  and  six  feet  three 
inches  broad  at  the  base.  This  is  the  father  of  all  the  obelisks, 
the  oldest  one  in  existence,  and  here  it  stands  in  its  original  po- 
sition, where  its  builders  first  erected  it.  Its  firm  base  and 
towering  head  have  withstood  all  the  assaults  of  time,  the  con- 
vulsions of  the  elements,  and  the  devastations  of  war.  The 
wreck  and  ruin  of  four  thousand  years  have  not  prevailed 
against  it. 

The  ancient  Egyptians  always  built  sphinxes  and  obelisks  in 
pairs.  So  it  is  said  another  obelisk  formerly  stood  opposite 
this,  and  the  two  marked  the  entrance  to  a  magnificent  temple. 
From  the  description  of  ancient  writers,  it  is  supposed  there 
was  here  a  long  avenue  of  sphinxes,  reaching  to  the  northwest 


EXCURSION    TO  HELIOPOLIS. 


157 


gate  of  the  city.  Fragments  of  these  are  still  occasionally 
found,  but  all  that  is  valuable  has  been  caught  up  by  antiqua- 
rians and  removed,  to  add  to  the  interest  of  public  and  private 
museums. 

This  obelisk  not  only  had  its  companion  to  grace  the  avenue 
to  the  temple  of  the  sun,  but  others,  how  many  we  know  not, 
rose  in  majesty  and  beauty  around  it.  From  here  were  proba- 
bly taken  the  two  we  have  before  seen  at  Alexandria,  also  the 
beautiful  one  that  adorns  the  terrace  of  St.  Peter's  Church  at 
Rome,  another  that  adorns  the  grounds  of  the  Lateran,  and  still 
another  that  stands  at  the  Porta  del  Popolo  of  the  same  city. 
This  one  is  covered  with  hieroglyphics  from  base  to  top.  These 
hieroglyphics  being  deeply  cut  into  the  stone,  the  wasps  upon 
the  two  sides  least  exposed  to  the  weather  have  chosen  them 
for  their  dwellings,  and  have  so  cased  them  to  the  very  apex  in 
mud  as  to  make  them  illegible. 

THE   TEMPLE   OF   THE  SUN. 

The  grounds  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this  obelisk  have 
been  cultivated  for  many  years  as  a  garden.  Here  the  careless 
fellaheen  sow  their  seeds  and  gather  their  harvests,  in  stolid 
indifference  to  the  buried  ruins  beneath  their  feet.  Yet,  here 
stood  one  of  -the.  oldest  and  finest  cities  of  the  world,  and  here 
are  buried  the  remains  of  some  of  the  earliest  temples.  The 
ancient  Egyptian  name  of  the  city,  as  expressed  in  the  hiero- 
glyphics, is  Re-ei,  House  or  abode  of  the  Sun.  The  Greeks  called 
it  Heliopolis,  and  the  Hebrews,  Bethshemesh,  House  of  the  Sun. 
This  place  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated  seats  of  ancient  learn- 
ing; it  was  famed  for  astronomy,  as  well  as  the  worship  of  the 
Sun,  and  boasted  of  a  renowned  college  of  priests. 

The  Temple  of  the  Sun,  as  described  by  Stabo,  was  a  very 
large  and  magnificent  structure.  This  historian  also  tells  us, 
that  when  he  visited  the  place,  he  saw  some  very  large  houses 
where,  the  priests  used  to  live,  but  the  schools  of  religion  and 
science  had  been  discontinued;  not  a  single  professor  was  any 
where  to  be  found.  A  few  priests  had  charge  of  the  temple, 
and  explained  their  religious  rites  to  strangers,  and  also  pointed 
out  the  house  where  Eudoxus  and  Plato  lived,  spending  thirteen 
10 


158 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


years  under  the  priests  of  this  renowned  city.  The  sacred  bull, 
Mnevis,  shared  also  with  the  sun  the  divine  hono'rs  of  the  city, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  noted  among  the  sacred  animals  of 
Egypt.  Many  interesting  sculptures  and  inscriptions  have  been 
found  here,  and  doubtless  many  others  lie  entombed  among 
these  shapeless  mounds,  that  future  researches  may  bring  to 
light.  A  red  granite  fragment  was  found  at  some  distance 
from  the  obelisk,  on  which  are  the  name  and  mutilated  figure 
of  the  great  Remesis.    Not  far  from  the  obelisk  is 

THE   FOUNTAIN   OP    THE  SUN. 

This  is  a  beautiful  fountain  of  water,  springing  directly  from 
the  earth ;  and  fountains  of  this  kind  being  so  rare  in  Egypt,  it 
has  ever  made  this  a  celebrated  spot.  Some  say  it  is  the  only 
living  spring  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  Not  far  from  this  place, 
a  venerable  old  sycamore  tree  spreads  broad  and  thick  its  mas- 
sive branches,  forming  an  inviting  shade.  "When  Joseph  and 
Mary,  with  the  child  Jesus,  fled  from  the  jealous  and  cruel 
Herod,  and  took  refuge  in  Egypt,  tradition  says  they  reposed 
under  the  shadow  of  these  over-hanging  bows,  and  slaked 
their  thirst  at  this  renowned  fountain;  and  lo!  the  salt  waters 
of  the  fountain  were  sweetened  and  the  tree  blessed  with  a 
perennial  greenness  and  vigor!  That  the  parents  of  Jesus 
should  visit  the  City  of  the  Sun,  would  be  a  very  natural  con- 
sequence of  their  coming  into  Egypt;  that  they  should  drink 
from  this  fountain  would  also  be  most  probable,  and  it  would 
not  be  unreasonable  to  suppose  they  would  seek  a  shade  from 
the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun.  But  that  this  is  the  tree,  or  that 
a  perpetual  miracle  was  the  result,  is  not  very  probable. 

The  first  cotton  planted  in  Egypt,  was  grown  near  this  obe- 
lisk, on  the  site  of  this  ruined  city.  It  was  sown  as  an  experi- 
ment some  thirty  years  ago,  and  now  Egypt  exports  large 
quantities  of  this  great  staple.  In  the  gardens  of  this  city 
flourished  the  celebrated  balsam  trees,  that  were  transplanted 
from  the  gardens  upon  the  plains  of  the  Jordan  near  Jericho, 
by  Cleopatra.  These  trees  are  supposed  to  be  the  balm  of 
Gilead  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  None  of  them  now  exist, 
either  here  or  near  Jericho.    Some  of  them  were  transplanted 


VICISSITUDES    OF  LIFE. 


159 


to  Arabia,  near  Mecca,  where  they  still  flourish,  and  from 
whence  the  balsam  is  now  brought  to  Egypt  and  Europe.  A 
short  distance  from  this  also  we  can  look  out  upon  the  plain, 
where  in  1517  Sultan  Selim  encamped  previous  to  his  defeat 
of  Toman  Bey,  the  result  of  which  was  the  transfer  of  the 
scepter  of  the  Mamaluke  kings  to  the  victorious  Osmanlee. 
But  what  to  me  was  of  more  interest  than  all  of  these  things, 
here  was 

THE   HOME    OF  JOSEPH. 

He  married  the  daughter  of  Potiphera,  Priest  of  On.  How 
strangely  I  felt  as  I  gazed  upon  that  ancient  monument,  and 
stood  in  the  midst  of  these  scattered  mounds,  marking  the  site 
of  a  once  populous  city!  With  what  interest  I  recalled  the 
history  of  that  young  Hebrew,  who  once  acted  so  conspicuous 
a  part  in  the  scenes  that  have  here  transpired.  That  tall  obe- 
lisk had  witnessed  his  marriage,  and  these  buried  pavements 
had,  no  doubt,  often  been  pressed  by  his  feet.  What  an  in- 
structive history  is  his!  His  origin  was  lonely  and  obscure; 
his  introduction  into  Egypt  most  humiliating.  How  many 
persons  would  have  sunk  under  his  burdens,  and  have  fallen 
under  the  fierce  power  of  his  temptations ! 

It  was  a  sad  and  weary  journey  that  he  made  from  the  com- 
forts of  a  home,  and  the  fond  affections  of  a  doting  father,  to 
the  hard  drudgery  of  a  bond  slave  in  a  land  of  strangers.  It 
was  a  still  more  dreary  pathway  from  the  comforts  and  honors 
of  the  house  of  Potiphar  to  the  dark  and  dismal  dungeon,  to 
become  a  companion  of  guilty  felons.  I  saw  him  through 
those  two  long  years  of  dismal,  weary,  prison  life,  forgotten  by 
his  friends  and  hated  by  his  enemies,  sometimes  sinking  under 
the  dark  clouds  of  despondency  that  gathered  over  him,  then 
rallying  himself  with  the  consciousness  that  his  God  was  his 
protector.  During  all  these  cheerless  months  he  waited  in 
hope,  trusting  for  the  hour  of  his  deliverance.  His  unspotted 
life  was  a  crown  of  honor,  his  integrity  the  rock  on  which  he 
was  built. 

Even  hope  has  need  of  patience,  and  patient  waiting  will 
bring  the  hour  of  deliverance.    What  a  change  was  that  from 


160 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


the  loathsome  prison  to  the  costly  palace — from  the  companion- 
ship of  criminals  to  a  triumphal  seat  in  the  chariot  of  the  king 
— from  trembling  under  the  frown  of  his  tyrant  jailer,  to  the 
acclamations  of  the  shouting  multitude  as  they  bowed  the  knee 
before  him.  From  the  depths  of  degradation  he  was  raised  to 
the  hights  of  honor,  and  his  elevation  was  more  rapid  than  his 
fall.    Here,  too,  was 

THE    SCHOOL   OF  MOSES. 

From  the  waters  of  yonder  river  that  flow  but  a  little  dis- 
tance from  us,  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  rescued  the  weeping 
infant;  and  she  called  him  Moses,  for  she  u drew  him  out  of  the 
water."  In  the  court  of  Pharaoh  he  found  a  home.  Among 
the  renowned  instructors  that  assembled  in  this  city  of  the 
learned,  he  was  sent  to  school.  Here  he  became  learned  in  all 
the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians.  But  the  schools  and  artful  logic 
of  their  philosophers,  the  crafty  teachings  of  their  priests,  the 
magnificence  of  their  temples,  and  the  pompous  rituals  of  their 
worship,  could  not  eradicate  or  overcome  that  knowledge  of 
Jehovah  God,  and  that  attachment  for  his  people  he  inherited 
by  his  birth  and  drinked  in  from  his  mother's  breast.  He 
turned  his  back  upon  the  affluence  and  honors  of  the  court, 
and  chose  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God. 
We  shall  hear  of  him  again  when  we  visit  in  yonder  desert  the 
Mount  of  God;  we  shall  see  him  again  when  in  yonder  Land 
of  Promise  we  stand  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  What  a 
history  these  places  have !  What  lessons  come  to  us  from  these 
desolated  mounds  and  these  crumbling  monuments!  But  this 
City  of  the  Sun  has  another  lesson  for  us.  Let  us  sit  down  on 
this  old  broken  column,  take  out  our  Bible,  and  see  how  this  city 
was  made  a  special  subject  of 

PROPHETIC  DECLARATION. 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  Godfof  Israel :  Behold,  I 
will  send  and  take  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  King  of  Babylon,  my 
servant.  *  *  *  *  And  I  will  kindle  a  fire  in  the  houses 
of  the  gods  of  Egypt,  and  he  shall  burn  them,  and  carry  them 
away  captives.    *    *    *    *    He  shall  break  also  the  images  of 


IDOL    GODS  DESTKOYiLD. 


161 


Betkshemcsh,  [House  of  the  Sun,]  that  is  in  Egypt,  and  the 
houses  of  the  gods  of  the  Egyptians  shall  he  burn  with  fire." 
Jeremiah  liii.  10. 

Could  prophecy  have  spoken  in  plainer  terms?  And  here 
we  sit  upon  the  very  ground  of  which  the  prophet  spoke,  and 
here  we  see  around  us  the  desolations  that  in  fulfillment  of  the 
word  of  God  have  been  wrought !  It  was  not  many  years  after 
Jeremiah  penned  those  words,  that  the  proud  king  of  Babylon 
led  his  conquering  army,  according  to  the  record  of  both  Jose- 
phus  and  Berosus,  into  Syria  and  Palestine;  subdued  the  Am- 
monites and  Moabites,  and  pushed  his  conquests  into  Egypt. 
He  laid  waste  their  temples,  burned  their  wooden  gods,  and 
carried  away  their  gold  and  silver  ones,  and  loaded  himself  and 
army  with  the  spoils  of  the  land.  "What  a  place  to  meditate ! 
To  recall  the  wonders  of  a  wonder-working  God!  To  be  im- 
pressed with  his  prescience,  and  note  the  Handwriting  of  his 
power!  But  we  have  other  places  to  visit,  and  must  not  linger 
about  these  impressive  monuments  of  the  past.  We  turn  and 
take  our  course  towards 

THE   PALACE   AT  SHOOBRA. 

This  would  well  repay  a  visit,  but  it  is  now  shut  up,  and  un- 
dergoing repairs,  and  we  could  only  get  admittance  to  the 
grounds.  It  was  the  palace  of  Mohammed  Ali,  and  is  now 
owned  and  used  by  his  successor  in  the  viceroyalty.  It  is  about 
four  miles  northward  from  the  city  and  near  the  banks  of  the 
Kile.  A  beautiful  avenue,  shaded  by  acacia  trees,  leads  from 
the  city  to  it.  These  trees  have  been  planted  between  forty 
and  fifty  years.  They  grow  rapidly,  and  when  in  blossom,  fill 
the  air  with  fragrance. 

When  the  Viceroy  is  at  Cairo,  Shoobra  is  generally  his  lodg- 
ing place.  Pie  transacts  business  in  the  palace  of  the  citadel  a 
part  of  the  day,  and  retires  to  this  beautiful  retreat  to  regale 
and  rest  himself.  The  grounds  are  beautifully  laid  out,  and 
more  attractive  than  the  palace.  They  are  generally  open  to 
the  public,  and  large  numbers  of  visitors  resort  to  them.  It  is 
said  they  were  laid  out  by  a  Greek  in  old  Italian  style.  They 
are  beautifully  diversified  with  terraces,  walks,  bowers,  flowers 

7 


162 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


and  shaded  avenues.  Many  of  the  walks  are  beautifully  paved 
with  small  black  and  white  pebbles,  wrought  into  various  de- 
signs of  mosaic  work. 

The  great  attraction  of  the  garden  is  a  noble  reservoir  of 
water,  gushing  from  marble  fountains  in  the  form  of  croco- 
diles. A  visitor  here  in  the  days  of  Mohammed  Ali  tells  us, 
that  in  the  enjoyments  of  the  garden  he  was  not  unmindful  of 
the  pleasure  of  his  women,  and  had  arrangements  made  to 
have  them  paddled  about  in  boats  in  this  .great  reservoir,  often 
giving  private  directions  to  the  boatmen  to  upset  the  frail  craft 
and  surprise  the  fair  ones  with  a  cold  bath — "  a  piece  of  malice 
which  afforded  him  as  much  unqualified  delight  as  though  he 
were  still  in  his  school-boy  days."  From  this  beautiful  place 
where  the  senses  are  regaled  by  the  adornments  of  art,  we  turn 
to  contemplate  one  of  the  strange  and  curious  freaks  of 
Nature, 

THE    PETRIFIED  FOREST. 

I  confess,  notwithstanding  all  I  had  heard  and  read  upon  the 
subject,  I  had  a  very  indefinite  idea  of  what  I  was  to  see,  as 
Abdallah  turned  the  head  of  his  donkey  in  the  direction  of  the 
"  forest,"  and  urged  him  into  a  canter  by  a  vigorous  application 
of  his  shillalah.  "We  passed  the  boundary  of  the  Nile's  green 
verdure,  and  struck  off  directly  into  the  dreary  waste  of  sands. 
Our  course  lay  along  a  valley,  or  waddy,  as  it  is  called  here, 
with  a  range  of  barren  hills  on  either  side,  from  many  of  which 
immense  quantities  of  stone  had  at  some  previous  time  been 
quarried.  At  a  distance  of  several  miles  from  the  city,  we 
came  upon  these  immense  petrifactions.  I  say  immense, 
though  far  inferior  to  what  I  had  expected  to  see. 

"  Petrified  Forest "  is  certainly  a  misnomer,  for  there  is  no 
forest  here.  Large  masses  of  petrified  wood  are  scattered  here 
and  there  among  the  sands,  but  in  this  vicinity  there  are  none 
over  three  or  four  feet  long.  Some  of  them  are  portions  of 
thorn-bearing  trees,  some  are  palms,  and  some  appear  to  be  a 
kind  of  bamboo.  Williamson  tells  us  that  in  one  place  on  the 
Suez  road,  he  observed  one  of  these  petrified  palm  trees,  be- 
tween twenty-five  and  thirty  feet  long,  imbedded  in  sandstone 


ANCIENT  SEPULCHRES. 


163 


rock.  It  is  supposed  that  these  woods  have  been  at  some  time 
imbedded  in  a  friable  layer  of  sandstone.  Here,  by  long  and 
silent  process,  the  texture  was  gradually  changed.  The  sand- 
stone, having  at  last  been  decomposed,  was  carried  off  by  the 
winds  and  rains,  and  the  heavier  bodies  of  petrified  timber 
remained  upon  the  surface.  The  specimens,  many  of  them, 
are  of  a  very  peculiar  character,  exhibiting  sometimes  a  rotten 
surface  of  wood,  the  layers  distinctly  marked;  sometimes  a 
knot  or  joint,  and  then  again  a  bit  of  limb,  with  the  pith 
through  the  middle  plainly  to  be  seen.  The  place  where  these 
petrifactions  are  found,  is  a  desolate,  cheerless  looking  spot.  I 
gathered  a  few  specimens  for  my  cabinet,  and  was  glad  to  turn 
my  face  once  more  toward  the  city.  As  we  neared  Cairo,  we 
passed  the 

TOMBS   OP   THE   MAMALUKE  KINGS. 

Egypt  is  a  land  of  tombs!  Its  sepulchres  have  been  far 
more  enduring  than  the  abodes  of  the  living.  These  tombs 
stand  just  in  the  edge  of  the  desert,  not  far  from  the  city. 
They  were  built,  more  than  four  hundred  years  ago,  and  are 
fine  specimens  of  the  Arabic  architecture  of  those  times. 
Each  tomb  has  a  mosque  attached  to  it,  surmounted  by  a  mina- 
ret. They  are  built  of  stone,  quarried  from  the  neighboring 
hills.  But,  though  substantially  built,  and  formerly  kept  in 
repair,  they  are  now  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition,  and  no 
one  seems  to,care  for  them. 

They  have  been  called  the  tombs  of  the  Caliphs.  But  the 
dust  of  the  Caliphs,  it  is  said,  does  not  repose  here.  Their 
tombs  once  occupied  the  site  now  covered  by  the  silk  bazars 
of  the  city,  and  were  long  since  destroyed.  These  monuments 
mark  the  spot  where  the  Baharides  and  Mamaluke  Sultans 
sleep.  They  were  themselves  invaders  and  plunderers ;  and 
now,  in  turn,  their  very  tombs  are  wasting  away.  The  reckless 
Arab  is  snatching  from  them  stone  after  stone,  and  they  too, 
like  the  lordly  forms  they  were  built  to  cover,  will  soon  perish 
from  the  earth.  The  power  and  splendor  of  thrones  and  rulers 
will  pass  away;  the  beauty  of  the  costliest  monuments  will 
perish  forever.     What  are  such  things  to  these  dreamless 


164 


EGYPT  AN  D  SINAI. 


sleepers  ?  What  care  they  whether  over  them  the  green  earth 
smiles  in  beauty,  or  the  cheerless  desert  bleaches  in  the  burn- 
ing sun  —  whether  their  requiem  be  the  song  of  birds,  and  the 
hum  of  insects,  or  the  wail  of  the  desert  wind,  as  it  heaps  the 
sands  higher  and  higher  over  their  heads  ? 

MODE    OF    WATERING   THE  LAND. 

As  we  ride  homeward,  we  may  notice  some  of  the  peculiari- 
ties of  cultivation.  Though  various  kinds  of  trades  and  manu- 
factures are  carried  on  in  the  cities,  the  mass  of  the  people  live 
by  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  and  the  genial  climate  and 
fertile  soil  amply  repay  their  labors.  The  annual  inundation 
of  the  Nile  is  not  only  the  great  fertilizer,  but  in  the  absence 
of  rains,  supplies  the  moisture  by  which  vegetation  is  sustained. 
During  the  long  months  of  sunshine  that  follow  the  abating 
of  the  waters,  most  portions  of  the  land  would  become  dry 
and  parched,  were  it  not  for  the  artificial  means  that  are 
used  to  treasure  up  the  waters,  and  then  by  various  means 
pour  them  over  the  land  at  the  time  when  most  needed. 

The  land  to  be  irrigated  is  divided  into  small  squares  or  beds 
by  little  canals  cutting  each  other  at  right  angles.  The  water 
is  raised  from  wells,  reservoirs,  and,  if  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Nile,  from  the  river  itself,  by  different  devices.  When  the  water 
is  to  be  raised  but  a  few  feet,  sometimes  a  solitary  man  or  boy 
may  be  seen  dipping  it  up  with  a  bucket  —  a  slow  and  toilsome 
process.  Sometimes  a  kind  of  basket  is  hung  upon  a  couple 
of  ropes,  and  two  men,  each  having  an  end  of  the  ropes  in 
hand,  keep  the  basket  perpetually  swinging,  dipping  it  full  as 
it  comes  down,  and  by  a  peculiar  jerk  of  the  ropes  emptying  it 
at  every  elevation  upon  the  land.  A  more  common  device  for 
this  purpose  is  the  shadoof. 

This  is  much  like  the  old  fashioned  well-pole  and  sweep, 
except  that  wood  is  so  scarce  the  upright  post  has  to  be  made 
of  mud.  Two  of  these  mud  pillars  are  erected,  a  beam  laid 
across  the  tops,  and  the  sweep  attached  to  this  beam.  For  a 
weight  upon  the  end  of  this  sweep,  to  balance  the  basket,  as 
neither  wood  nor  stone  can  be  afforded,  a  large  ball  of  mud  is 
fastened  to  it.    Here  the  patient  native,  stripped  above  and 


Shadoof— Raising  water  in  Egypt. 


Oriental  Women  on  Camels. 


ARTIFICIAL  IRRIGATION. 


167 


below,  with  only  a  piece  of  cloth  about  his  loins,  toils  on 
through  the  long,  weary  hours  of  the  day.  Much  of  this 
drudgery  is  performed  by  'Ethiopians  and  Abyssinians,  and 
where  the  water  is  to  be  elevated  to  a  considerable  hight,  rows 
of  these  sweeps  and  buckets  are  arranged,  tier  above  tier,  the 
first  raising  it  to  one  reservoir,  the  second  to  another,  until  the 
required  elevation  is  attained,  from  which  it  is  spread  over  the 
land.  The  annexed  engraving  gives  a  good  idea  of  this  labo- 
rious work.  When  much  water  is  to  be  raised,  and  there  is 
capital  enough  to  employ  machinery,  another  device  is  resorted 
to,  called  the  sakiyeh. 

A  large  horizontal  wheel,  with  cogs,  puts  in  motion  a  wind- 
lass, to  which  is  attached  a  smaller  vertical  wheel,  over  which 
is  thrown  an  endless  rope,  with  a  series  of  earthen  pots  attached. 
These  operate  like  the  buckets  of  grain  elevators  in  our  flour- 
ing mills,  and  as  this  series  of  pots  go  down  on  the  one  side 
empty,  and  come  up  on  the  other  full,  rolling  over  the  top, of 
the  vertical  wheel,  they  are  emptied  into  a  conductor  and  the 
contents  carried  off  to  the  little  canals  along  the  fields.  This 
machinery  is  very  coarse  and  rude,  and  makes  a  dismal,  screak- 
ing noise.  It  is  put  in  motion  by  a  cow  or  an  ox,  sometimes 
by  a  pair  of  them.  The  poor  animals  are  blindfolded,  and  go 
grinding  round  and  round  their  weary  pathway  day  after  day, 
all  unconscious  of  the  results  of  their  labors.  I  looked  for  an 
illustration  of  watering  the  land  with  the  foot,  to  wjiich  some 
tell  us  Moses  alluded  in  speaking  of  the  land  into  which  he 
was  to  lead  Israel :  "  It  is  not  as  the  land  of  Egypt  from  whence 
ye  came  out,  where  thou  sowedst  thy  seed,  and  wateredst  it 
with  thy  foot  as  a  garden  of  herbs ;  but  the  land  whither  ye 
go  to  possess  it  is  a  land  of  hills  and  valleys,  and  drinketh 
water  of  the  rain  of  heaven."  Deut.  xi ;  10,  11.  This,  some 
tell  us,  refers  to  a  method  of  raising  water,  sometimes  practiced, 
in  wmich  light  machinery,  similar  to  the  above,  is  turned  by  the 
foot  like  a  kind  of  treadmill.  Others  think  it  refers  to  the  fact, 
that  when  the  ground  was  laid  out  into  these  small  beds,  with 
the  little  rivulets  of  water  flowing  among  them,  the  channels 
were  stopped  by  pressing  the  mud  into  little  dykes  with  the 
bare  foot,  or  opening  them  in  the  same  way,  as  the  ground 


168  EGYPT    ANjl)  SINAI. 


might  require.  If  the  allusion  was  to  the  former  practice,  it 
has  now  mostly  fallen  into  disuse.  When  Niebuhr  visited  this 
country,  he  tells  us  he  saw  a  machine  of  this  kind  used  foi 
watering  a  garden  in  Cairo.  If  the  latter  practice  was  referred 
to,  illustrations  of  it  can  be  constantly  seen. 

But  while  we  have  been  visiting  these  places  of  interest, 
and  watching  these  pursuits  of  the  inhabitants,  the  day  has 
rapidly  passed,  and  the  evening  sun  is  throwing  his  parting 
rays  upon  desert  and  valley,  and  we  must  hasten  to  our  hotel. 

STREET   CRIES,    TATTOOING   AND  BEGGARS. 

Once  more  we  are  threading  our  way  through  the  narrow 
streets  of  the  city,  and  now  our  ears  are  saluted  with  strange 
sounds  from  the  venders  of  different  articles,  as  they  hawk 
them  about  the  streets.  They  are  talking  Arabic,  and  we  must 
ask  some  one  to  translate  for  us.  There  is  a  man  who  has 
limes  for  sale :  "  0  limes  !  limes  !  God  make  them  light,"  that  is, 
easy  of  sale.  Another  has  a  kind  of  cotton  cloth  made  by 
machinery  put  in  motion  by  a  bull,  and  he  is  crying  at  the  top 
of  his  voice:  "  The  work  of  the  bull!  the  work  of  the  bull! 
0  maidens !  "  Another  has  his  hands  full  of  roses :  "  The  rose ! 
the  rose  !  the  rose  was  a  thorn  ;  from  the  sweat  of  the  Prophet 
it  blossomed  !  "  Another  has  the  fragrant  flowers  of  the  henna 
tree.  Hear  him  call :  "  Odors  of  Paradise  !  Odors  of  Paradise ! 
0  flowers  of  the  henna  !  " 

This  henna  is  an  article  much  in  use  in  the  East.  The 
flowers  of  the  plant  not  only  possess  an  agreeable  odor,  but 
the  leaves  furnish  the  celebrated  dye  with  which  the  nails  and 
other  portions  of  the  body  are  stained.  The  ladies  imagine 
they  very  much  increase  their  beauty  by  these  artificial  stains 
of  hands,  feet,  lips,  cheeks  and  eyes.  Strange,  that  while  in 
one  country  all  sorts  of  cosmetics  are  demanded  to  remove 
every  vestige  of  pimple,  spot  or  stain,  and  preserve  the  com- 
plexion pure  and  white,  in  another,  stains  become  beauty  spots, 
and  the  goddess  of  fashion  imprints  her  deeply  stained  lines 
and  figures  on  the  fairest  lip  and  brow.  Truly,  there  is  no 
accounting  for  tastes  The  henna  stains  need  renewing  once 
in  two  or  three  weeks,  but  the  deeply  inwrought  tattooed  lines 


4 


SPECIMENS  OP  TATTOOING. 


PIOUS  BEGGAKS. 


171 


remain  for  life,  for  the  coloring  matter  is  pricked  into  the  flesh. 
They  are  generally  of  a  deep  blue  color,  and  are  made  on  the 
forehead,  chin,  lips,  breast,  arms,  hands  and  feet,  and  of  any 
pattern  to  suit  the  fancy.  A  specimen  of  henna  staining  and 
tattooing  may  be  seen  in  the  engraving. 

The  beggars  of  Cairo  are  most  importunate,  and  have  a  pious 
method  of  coming  at  you  that  seems  almost  ludicrous.  They 
begin  and  end  with  appeals  to  God,  and  are  familiar  with  both 
imprecations  and  blessings.  One  approaches  you  and  stretches 
out  his  unwashen  hands :  "  I  am  seeking  from  my  Lord  a  cake 
of  bread !  For  the  sake  of  God,  O  ye  charitable ! "  If  it  is 
evening,  one  says :  "  My  supper  must  be  thy  gift,  O  Lord !  I  am 
the  guest  of  God  and  the  Prophet!"  As  I  was  dressed  in 
Frank  costume,  I  was  frequently  followed  by  some  of  these 
importunate  beggars,  who  had  accumulated  a  scanty  English 
vocabulary  for  the  occasion  :  "  0  Christian !  good  Christian  !  O 
Christian !  I  am  seeking  my  supper  from  God ! "  Some  of 
these  beggars  go  about  chanting  verses,  sometimes  beating  a 
cymbal  or  a  kettle  drum ;  sometimes  they  are  seen  on  horse- 
back. Lane  tells  us  he  saw  one  thus  mounted,  accompanied 
by  two  men  bearing  a  flag,  and  a  third  beating  a  drum,  and  in 
this  pompous  manner  he  rode  from  hut  to  hut,  asking  for 
bread. 

The  streets  are  passed ;  we  have  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  beg- 
gars—  the  din  of  the  criers  dies  away  in  the  distance.  Wel- 
come the  hotel,  our  temporary  home !  A  long  ride  has  given 
us  a  good  appetite,  and  we  will  hasten  to  enjoy  the  evening 
meal.  Do  n't  forget  the  donkey  boy.  He  has  more  truth  in 
him  than  a  dozen  like  Hassan  —  sixty-two  and  a  half  cents  and 
a  backsheesh. 

February  17th.  My  first  Sunday  among  Mohammedans. 
To  one  accustomed  to  spend  the  day  in  a  Christian  land,  and 
in  Christian  worship,  the  scene  seems  strange  indeed.  The 
Mohammedan  Sabbath  comes  on  Friday,  the  Jew's  on  Satur- 
day, and  the  Christian's  on  Sunday.  Here  I  am,  in  a  place 
where  three  Sundays  come  in  succession,  and  the  result  is  a 
verification  of  the  old  adage,  "Extremes  meet,"  for  we  have 
no  Sunday  at  all.    The  Mohammedan  Sabbath  is  but  little 


172 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


regarded.  The  bazars  are  all  open,  the  mechanic  plies  his 
instruments  of  labor,  the  fellah  betakes  himself  to  his  accus- 
tomed pursuits,  and  loaded  camels  and  donkeys  march  hither 
and  thither  with  their  burdens.  The  mosques  are  open  an  hour 
at  noon,  and  yet  but  few  take  any  notice  of  the  call  to  prayer. 
Of  Christians  and  Jews,  there  are  so  few  that  the  suspension  of 
their  business  upon  their  sacred  days  is  scarcely  noticed  among 
the  busy  multitudes  of  the  great  city.  Never  did  I  so  much 
appreciate,  or  so  well  understand  the  feelings  of  the  Psalmist, 
when  he  longed  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord,  as  I  did  while  stop- 
ping in  these  Mohammedan  lands. 

ATTENDING  WORSHIP. 

But  there  is  worship  this  morning  at  the  chapel  of  the 
English  Mission,  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leider,  and  at 
the  American  Mission  this  afternoon,  under  the  care  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Barnet.  Some  of  the  English  and  American  boarders 
will  attend  with  us,  and  show  us  the  way.  These  places  of 
worship  are  both  in  the  Christian  or  Copt  part  of  the  city,  and 
are  portions  of  a  common  dwelling-house,  fitted  up  with  seats 
and  desk  for  the  occasion.  The  chapel  of  the  English  Mission 
is  entered  from  a  central  court,  like  most  of  the  houses  of  the 
city;  the  building  is  a  rude  one,  and  truly  oriental  in  style. 
The  three  sides  from  which  light  is  admitted  is  nearly  all  sash 
and  glass,  much  like  our  green-houses,  so  constructed  as  to 
slide  or  turn  on  hinges,  that  they  may  be  opened  for  the  free 
admission  of  air.  Fires  are  never  needed,  so  no  provision  is 
made  for  warming;  the  great  object  of  building  here,  is  to 
keep  the  heat  out,  and  secure  the  free  admission  of  air. 
About  fifty  persons  were  in  attendance.  The  service  was 
Episcopal,  and  was  followed  by  an  excellent  sermon. 

The  American  Mission  is  under  the  patronage  of  the  Asso- 
ciate Presbyterians,  their  rooms  being  in  the  same  part  of  the 
city.  The  attendance  at  their  service  was  quite  small.  An 
excellent  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Mr.  Bliss,  an  agent  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  who  has  spent  many  years  in 
Greece  and  Turkey.  These  missionaries  are  a  self-denying, 
devoted  class  of  persons,  but  they  have  a  sterile  field  upon 


A   SABBATH  EVENING. 


173 


which  to  labor.  Still,  they  are  sowing  good  seed — some  of  it  is 
taking  root,  and  like  leaven  in  the  meal,  it  will  yet  produce 
astonishing  results. 

A    REFLECTION,    AND    NEW  ACQUAINTANCES. 

I  returned  in  musing  mood  to  my  hotel.  There  was  none  of 
the  holy  calm  and  quiet  stillness  of  the  Sabbath  of  rest.  Never 
was  I  so  deeply  impressed  with--  the  value  of  the  hallowed 
influence  of  the  "  Pearl  of  Days,"  as  when  on  this  occasion  I 
looked  out  upon  the  toiling  thousands  about  me.  All  the  week, 
all  the  month,  all  the  year — ay,  through  life's  weary  pilgrim- 
age— they  toil  on,  the  shadowy  clouds  of  care  and  anxiety 
hanging  over  them,  without  any  openings  through  which  to 
catch  the  glimpses  of  the  radiance  of  God's  glory  and  sweet 
foretastes  of  heavenly  rest.  I  thought  of  what  one  of  my 
own  countrymen  says  of  this  blessed  day,  when  he  compares  it 
to  a  man  swimming  the  mighty  stream,  and  who  stops,  pant- 
ing, to  rest  upon  some  midway  rock,  ere  he  plunges  again  into 
the  tide.  So,  by  this  day,  lifted  above  the  tumult  of  earthly 
care,  we  rest  and  gain  strength,  before  we  go  down  again  into 
the  dark  ford,  to  make  another  struggle  for  the  farther  shore. 

Though  I  was  compelled  to  spend  this  Sabbath  day  far  from 
home  and  kindred,  deprived  of  the  hallowed  associations  in 
which  I  was  accustomed  to  mingle,  it  yet  brought  with  it  one 
pleasant  and  interesting  event.  Up  to  this  point  I  had  made 
my  journey  alone.  This,  as  the  result  of  my  experience  thus 
far,  I  would  never  recommend  any  one  to  do.  Secure  one  or 
two — and  two  will  be  preferable — good  traveling  companions 
before  you  leave  home.  It  will  make  cheaper  traveling,  be- 
sides relieving  the  tediousness  and  loneliness  of  the  way.  This 
evening  I  was  gratified  in  being  permitted  to  make  the  ac- 
quaintance of  two  American  gentleman  who  had  just  come 
into  the  place — Rev.  Edward  P.  Baker  of  Massachusetts,  and 
A.  C.  Herrick,  a  theological  student  and  teacher,  from  Maine. 
They  were  pursuing  the  same  route  as  myself,  and  we  hence- 
forth became  traveling  companions. 

Amid  the  vociferations  of  street  criers,  the  din  of  business, 
the  clamor  of  servants,  donkey  boys  and  camel  drivers,  the 


174 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


weary  hours  of  the  Sabbath  wore  away.  It  was  evening,  and  I 
was  alone  in  my  room.  The  sun  had  sunk  away  behind  the 
Lybian  hills,  and  the  shadows  of  twilight  were  gathering  thick 
and  fast  around  me.  However  cheerful  and  pleasant  compan- 
ions may  be,  there  is  a  holy  luxury  in  sometimes  being  alone; 
and  alone  at  such  an  hour  as  this — and  yet  I  was  not  alone.  I 
was  in  a  land  that  had  made  strange  history  for  the  world,  and 
visions  of  the  past  flitted  around  me.  I  saw  Abraham,  the 
venerable  old  man,  on  his  visit  to  the  court  of  Pharaoh;  Joseph 
rose  up  in  the  dim  visions  of  the  past,  and  I  saw  old  Jacob,  his 
father,  expiring  in  his  arms;  then  Moses,  with  his  wonder-work- 
ing rod,  came  and  joined  the  group.  But  not  the  renowned 
only  of  ancient  days,  who  had  graced  this  land  with  their 
presence — the  scene  changed — the  loved  of  former  days  were 
around  me,  absent  friends  came  on  light  and  cheerful  wing  to 
greet  me,  and  I  held  sweet  converse  with  them.  And  then  I 
seemed  lifted  above  them  all.  The  heavens  were  bending  to- 
ward me,  and  the  glory  of  God  kindled  them  with  an  unearth- 
ly radiance.  It  was  a  season  of  fond  remembrances — of  sanc- 
tified thought — of  holy  prayer  !  0,  how  much  of  life — of  the 
past — of  the  present — of  the  future — may  be  crowded  into  one 
hour  of  calm,  peaceful,  twilight  contemplation  and  prayer ! 

THE   RUINED   CITY   OF   THE  PHARAOHS. 

Monday  Morning,  Feb.  17th.  We  have  slept  safely  and  sweet- 
ly, because  there  is  an  eye  that  is  never  weary  with  watching, 
an  outstretched  arm  that  never  tires  in  its  protection.  Already 
the  sun  is  looking  in  cheerily  at  the  window ;  the  city,  like  a 
great  hive,  greets  us  with  the  hum  of  its  swarming  occupants — 
let  us  hasten  our  breakfast,  and  away  upon  our  day's  excursion 
to  Memphis. 

More  than  twenty  donkey  boys  are  waiting  at  the  door,  and 
we  can  have  our  choice.  To-day  I  am  not  to  go  alone,  as  I 
went  to  the  pyramids;  my  two  new  companions  go  with  me; 
and  you,  reader,  will  please  make  the  fourth  one  of  the  party; 
it  shall  cost  you  nothing  for  a  donkey,  and  I  will  show  you  all 
the  sights  of  the  place.  Do  n't  you  think  it 's  splendid  riding 
on  these  little  long-eared  asses?   How  like  a  rocking-chair  they 


A   BEAUTIFUL  LANDSCAPE. 


175 


go,  tipping  you  backward  and  forward,  as  they  clear  three  feet 
of  distance  at  every  bound !    And  now  we  are  passing 

AN   EGYPTIAN   PALM  GROVE. 

No  groves  that  I  have  ever  seen  exceed  the  beauty  of  these 
palm  plantations.  Of  course  there  are  a  great  variety  of  palm 
trees.  These  are  the  date  palm,  and  produce  the  fruit  that 
forms  quite  a  portion  of  the  food  of  the  dwellers  in  this  valley. 
These  groves  are  planted  in  rows  like  our  orchards.  It  is  sur- 
prising what  a  variety  of  purposes  the  tree  serves,  and  how  use- 
ful it  is  made.  The  trunk,  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  in 
diameter,  rises  in  a  single  shaft  or  column,  generally  between 
thirty  and  forty  feet,  sometimes  as  high  as  sixty,  and  is  of  uni- 
form size  from  bottom  to  top.  The  summit  of  this  majestic 
trunk  is  surmounted  by  a  beautiful  crown  of  leaves.  Every 
part  of  the  tree  seems  to  be  put  to  some  good  use.  From  the 
long  trunks  beams  are  made  to  support  the  floors  and  roofs  of 
their  houses;  an  intoxicating  beverage  is  distilled  from  the 
fruit,  and  which,  not  coming  within  the  interdiction  of  the 
Koran,  is  much  used  among  the  Mohammedans.  Palm  wine  is 
made  from  the  sap,  but  can  only  be  procured  by  destroying  the 
life  of  the  tree,  consequently  very  little  of  it  is  made.  The 
cabbage  of  the  palm  is  found  in  the  center  of  the  tuft  of  foli- 
age that  crowns  its  top.  It  is  the  tender  germ  of  the  future 
leaves,  tastes  much  like  a  chestnut,  and  is  very  nutritious.  To 
take  this  away  also  destroy es  the  life  of  the  tree.  The  fibrous 
parts  of  the  bark  and  wood  are  manufactured  into  cordage, 
mats,  baskets  and  various  other  articles.  The  leaves  are  also 
very  useful,  and  a  great  variety  of  articles  are  manufactured 
from  them.  But  its  annual  tribute  of  fruit  is  what  renders  it 
most  valuable,  and  the  failure  of  the  date  crop  is  one  of  the 
greatest  calamities  that  can  befall  the  land.  So  useful  are  their 
products,  and  so  high  an  estimate  is  set  upon  them,  every  single 
tree  is  a  subject  for  special  taxation,  and  pays  its  annual  tribute 
to  the  Pasha,  for  the  support  of  the  government.  The  tree  is 
ornamental  as  well  as  useful.  They  are  the  most  beautiful  and 
striking  objects  of  all  the  landscape  scenery  of  Egypt.  The 


176 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


grove  through  which  we  are  now  passing  is  a  very  extensive 
one,  spreading  over  several  miles  of  territory. 

MEMPHIS,    THE   N0PH   OP  SCRIPTURE. 

A  ride  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  in  a  northwestern  di- 
rection from  Cairo  was  soon  passed.  Pleasant  and  cheerful 
company,  the  beauty  of  the  groves,  the  luxurious  vegetation, 
the  mild  and  balmy  air,  all  conspired  to  add  to  the  pleasure  of 
the  ride.  And  now  we  are  approaching  the  site  of  the  ancient 
city.  What  do  you  see?  Before  us  an  elevated  portion  of  land, 
covered  with  palm  trees,  and  just  here  one  of  those  miserable 
Arab  villages  of  mud  huts  and  ragged,  wretched  inmates. 
This  miserable  village  is  a  modern  affair,  called  Metrahenny ; 
and  strange  as  it  may  seem,  we  are  now  upon  the  very  ground 
where  once  stood  the  populous  and  magnificent  city  of  the 
Pharaohs.  This  spot  was  once  covered  by  a  dense  population, 
and  ornamented  with  costly  temples  and  palaces. 

The  Copts  called  it  Momph,  the  Egyptians  called  it  Ma- 
nofre,  and  this  is  the  name  by  which  it  is  known  among  the 
hieroglyphics.  It  was  one  of  the  oldest  cities  of  the  world,  and 
is  supposed  to  have  been  founded  by  Menes,  the  first  Egyptian 
king.  But  what  is  there  to  show  that  this  was  once  the  site 
of  a  flourishing  city?  Look  across  yonder  to  the  edge  of  the 
desert  and  to  those  hills  that  mark  the  boundary  of  the  valley, 
and  look  upon  that  great  city  of  the  dead.  There  stand  the 
pyramids  of  Sakkara,  and  about  them,  stretching  away  for 
miles,  reaching  northward  to  the  great  pyramids  of  Grizeh,  that 
sea  of  sands  is  one  great  winding  sheet,  beneath  which  have 
been  entombed  thousands  and  thousands  of  the  dead.  From 
whence  came  the  countless  multitudes  that  slumber  here,  if 
there  has  not  been  in  this  immediate  vicinity  a  great  city  of 
the  living? 

A  few  years  since,  had  one  been  asked  where  the  ancient  city 
of  the  Pharaohs  stood,  he  would  have  been  answered,  "  Proba- 
bly here,  but  none  can  tell."  Ancient  historians  had  spoken 
of  the  existence  of  certain  remarkable  monuments  in  connec- 
tion with  the  city,  but  where  these  were,  none  could  now  tell, 
and  the  very  site  of  the  city  was  a  matter  of  dispute.  Since 


A    RUINED  CITY. 


177 


the  commencement  of  modern  researches  in  this  land,  a  beauti- 
ful colossal  statue  was  discovered  here,  nearly  buried  in  the 
mud  and  earth.  It  proved  to  be  one  described  by  Herodotus, 
connected  with  one  of  the  great  temples  of  Memphis.  This 
discovery  settled  beyond  controversy  the  site  of  the  ancient 
city. 

It  is  a  wonder  to  many  how  a  city  of  such  great  dimensions, 
containing  such  vast  edifices,  temples  and  statues,  should  be  so 
utterly  destroyed.  It  should  be  remembered,  that  by  far  the 
greater  portion  of  the  buildings  of  these  cities  were  of  unburnt 
bricks,  a  mixture  of  Nile  mud  and  straw.  When  deserted,  they 
would  quickly  be  reduced  to  a  shapeless  mass  of  mud  that 
would  soon  be  covered  by  a  growth  of  vegetation.  The  tem- 
ples and  palaces  of  stone  were  more  durable,  but  were  pillaged 
and  wasted  by  war;  the  work  of  destruction  thus  commenced 
would  soon  be  consummated  by  the  removal  of  every  useful 
portion  to  form  a  part  of  the  edifices  of  more  modern  towns. 
The  heavy  portions  that  could  not  so  easily  be  removed,  would 
soon  become  imbedded  in  the  yielding  earth,  the  Kile  would 
leave  its*  deposits  over  and  around  them,  and  thus  the  city 
would  vanish  from  the  sight,  and  ere  long  perish  from  the  re- 
membrance of  man. 

THE    HISTORY   OF   MEMPHIS,    OR  NOPH. 

We  have  spoken  of  its  antiquity ;  let  us  recall  a  few  incidents 
in  its  subsequent  history.  The  prophet  Ezekiel  was  inspired 
to  proclaim  the  destruction  of  the  place.  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  I  will  destroy  the  idols,  and  I  will  cause  the  images  to 
cease  out  of  Noph."  Ez.  xxx  13.  Jeremiah  also  saw  the 
approaching  band  of  destruction.  "Noph  shall  be  waste 
and  desolate  without  an  inhabitant."  xlvi  19.  These  pro- 
•  phetic  declarations  were  uttered  when  the  city  sat  in  majesty 
upon  the  banks  of  this  river,  the  crown  of  her  pride  unbroken, 
the  splendor  and  magnificence  of  her  wealth  un dimmed. 

The  destruction  of  this  city  was  to  come  out  of  the  north, 
and  was  to  be  by  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon.    "  Declare 
ye  in  Egypt,    *  •  *    *    and  publish  in  Noph,    *    *    *  for 
the  sword  shall  devour  round   about  thee.  Destruction 
11  » 


178 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


cometh,  it  cometh  out  of  the  north.  The  Lord  of  Hosts,  the 
God  of  Israel  saith :  Behold,  I  will  punish  the  multitude  of  No 
and  Pharaoh  and  Egypt,  with  their  gods  and  their  kings.  And 
I  will  deliver  them  into  the  hand  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of 
Babylon.    Jer.  xlvi. 

The  victorious  king  of  Babylon,  about  six  hundred  years  be- 
fore Christ,  having  ravaged  Jerusalem  and  conquered  Tyre,  led 
his  army  into  Egypt.  Through  all  his  course  from  Migdol,  on 
the  southern  frontier,  to  the  very  borders  of  Ethiopia,  ruin  and 
devastation  marked  his  course.  Memphis  was  invaded,  the 
pride  of  Egypt  was  humbled,  her  king  degraded,  the  city  and 
tombs  ravaged  and  plundered.  At  the  expiration  of  forty 
years,  Memphis  had  mostly  recovered  from  this  desolating 
siege. 

Soon  after  this,  Cambyses  led  his  army  of  Persians  into 
Egypt,  and  Memphis  was  again  besieged  and  laid  waste.  From 
this  ruinous  blow  it  never  recovered,  though  it  continued  for 
many  years  to  be  the  capital  of  Lower  Egypt,  until  its  rival, 
Alexandria,  despoiled  it  of  this  honor.  Its  halls  were  deserted, 
its  temples  fell  into  ruins,  magnificent  edifices  were  torn  down, 
and  the  materials  carried  away.  So  great  a  city  could  not  be 
suddenly  annihilated.  Standing  so  near  the  banks  of  the  Nile, 
no  doubt  its  beds  of  hewn  and  sculptured  stone  afforded  mate- 
rials for  many  years  for  the  modern  cities  along  the  river. 
Even  as  late  as  1342,  we  read«of  very  extensive  ruins  here,  but 
they  have  gradually  disappeared.  Great  mounds  of  earth, 
mixed  with  broken  pottery,  a  few  pieces  of  broken  statuary 
and  sculptured  idols,  that  have  been  picked  up  here  and  there 
by  the  natives,  and  this 

GREAT    STATUE   OF   REMESES  II. 

Is  all  that  remains  to  tell  where  so  much  greatness,  wealth  • 
and  power  once  flourished.  Let  us  approach  and  examine  this 
fallen  monument.  It  stood  upon  a  great  pedestal,  around  which 
the  ruins  had  accumulated  to  the  depth  of  several  feet;  from 
this  the  colossal  statue  lifted  its  gigantic  form  forty-three  feet 
high — the  figure  of  a  man,  the  face  supposed  to  be  a  likeness  of 
Remeses,  to  whose  memory  it  seems  to  have  been  erected.    It  is 


A    MAJESTIC  STATUE. 


179 


carved  from  one  single  block  of  silicious  limestone,  very  hard, 
and  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish.  The  front  of  the  statue  only 
was  finished,  the  rear  portions  of  the  block  being  left  in  a  rough 
state.  Around  the  neck  hangs  an  amulet  or  breastplate,  on 
which  is  traced  the  royal  name  of  the  king,  supported  on  one 
side  by  the  god  Pthah,  the  image  of  creative  power;  on  the 
other,  by  the  emblem  of  Truth.  Around  the  waist  is  a  girdle ; 
on  the  center  and  at  the  side  of  this  girdle  are  affixed  the  royal 
prenomen.  In  his  hand  he  holds  a  scroll,  bearing  at  one  end 
his  name,  Amun-mai-Remeses;  at  his  feet,  standing  at  one  side, 
reaching  a  little  above  the  knees,  is  sculptured  from  the  same 
block  the  figure  of  a  little  girl,  said  to  be  his  daughter. 

Thus  the  statue  stood,  lifting  its  majestic  form  in  towering 
altitude,  like  a  great  presiding  deity  of  the  place.  How  is  it 
now  ?  Alas,  how  fallen !  It  has  been  broken  off  at  the  base, 
and  lies  face  downward,  half-buried  in  a  dirty  pool  of  water, 
and  during  the  inundations  of  the  Mle,  is  nearly  overflowed. 
A  half-dozen  naked  Arab  children  were  indulging  in  a  bath — 
it  could  hardly  be  called  an  ablution — in  the  dirty  pool  of  water 
at  its  base?  As  we  came  suddenly  upon  them,  they  shrieked 
and  ran  like  frightened  animals ;  some  of  them,  in  their  terror, 
leaving  their  scanty  wardrobe  behind,  and  it  was  sometime  be- 
fore we  could  coax  them  to  return.  The  head  lies  sufficiently  el- 
evated, turned  a  little  to  one  side,  to  get  a  good  view  of  the  face. 
It  bears  a  sweet  expression  of  mildness  and  amiability,  though 
the  sculpture  is  certainly  of  a  very  rude  kind,  far  from  the  dig- 
nit}'  and  grace  of  the  more  modern  Grecian  school. 

MOVING   IMMENSE   BLOCKS   OP  STONE. 

Now  let  us  sit  down  upon  this  prostrate  image,  and  see  if  we 
can  reconstruct  some  of  the  ancient  edifices,  and  trace  the  out- 
lines of  some  of  the  wonderful  and  instructive  places  that  for- 
merly adorned  this  now  ruined  locality.  First  mark  the  enor- 
mous size  of  this  sculptured  block  of  stone  upon  which  we  are 
sitting.  By  what  Titan  power  was  it  brought  from  its  far  dis- 
tant quarry  and  reared  on  end  upon  that  great  pedestal?  I 
have  often  heard  it  remarked  that  the  ancient  Egyptians,  ex- 
ceeded ia  mechanical  skill  and  power,  to  move  heavy  masses  the 


180 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


men  of  modern  days.  As  to  their  skill,  they  certainly  ha <! 
great  ingenuity  and  capacity;  but  it  was  the  skill  of  power 
rather  than  taste  and  beauty.  Their  works  were  colossal, 
as  their  ruins  attest,  but  they  are  far  from  possessing  the  grace 
and  beauty  of  modern  days.  As  to  the  superiority  of  their 
power,  what  proof  have  we  that  they  excelled  us  in  that?  I 
have  frequently  seen  it  asserted,  that  modern  nations  have  no 
machinery,  and  that  there  is  no  known  power,  by  which  such 
immense  masses  of  stone  can  now  be  moved,  as  the  ancient 
Egyptians  took  from  the  quarries,  and  elevated  in  their  monu- 
ments. One  recent  traveler  thinks  that  modern  times  are  much 
given  to  boasting,  and  have  achieved  some  very  surprising  ex- 
hibitions of  mechanical  skill;  but  he  is  sure  that  there  is  noth- 
ing so  astonishing,  and  yet  so  little  known,  as  the  means  by 
.which  the  genius  of  ancient  Egyptian  architects  accomplished 
these  works.  Another,  as  he  stands  by  Cleopatra's  Needle,  and 
gazes  upon  its  towering  shaft,  asks:  "By  what  means  did  the 
ancients  raise  it  to  a  perpendicular  position,  then  elevate  it 
twelve-  feet,  the  hight  of  the  base,  and  bring  it  exactly  over  the 
inverted  pyramid  on  which  it  rests,  and  set  it  accurately  down 
upon  its  resting  place?  Nothing  compared  with  this  has  been 
achieved  by  modern  mechanics." 

But  what  are  the  facts  in  the  case?  I  would  not  detract 
from  the  ancient  Egyptians  the  credit  due  them  for  moving  im- 
mense masses  of  stone.  But  can  modern  architects  not  do  it  as 
well  as  they?  The  huge  mass  of  stone  upon  which  we  are  now 
sitting  is  forty-two  feet  long,  and  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  di- 
ameter; the  shaft  of  the  obelisk  at  Heliopolis  is  sixty-eight  feet 
high,  and  a  little  over  six  feet  at  the  base.  Cleopatra's  Needle 
at  Alexandria  is  a  little  higher,  and  about  seven  feet  at  the 
base.  Now,  at  the  very  time  the  gentlemen  whose  contrast  of 
ancient  and  modern  power  we  have  alluded  to,  were  gazing  at 
Cleopatra's  Needle,  there  was  standing  in  the  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde, Paris,  an  obelisk  consisting  of  a  single  shaft  of  granite 
seventy-two  feet  three  inches  high,  and  seven  feet  six  inches  at 
the  base.  This  immense  mass  of  stone  was  given  by  Moham- 
med Ali  to  the  French,  and  was  taken  by  them  from  one  of 
the  great  temples  at  Thebes,  then   removed  froni  Upper 


OBELISK  OF  LUXOR  REMOVED  FROM  UPPER  EGYPT, 

now  standing  in  Place  de  la  Concorde,  Paris. 


BEMOVING   MASSES    OF  STONE. 


183 


Egypt  to  the  Mediterranean,  thence  by  transports  to  Marseilles, 
thence  some  six  hundred  miles  to  Paris,  where  it  now  stands 
upon  a  pedestal  more  than  double  the  hight  of  the  one  on 
which  Cleopatra's  Needle  stands.  True,  its  removal  was  a  her- 
culean work,  and  three  years  were  spent  in  accomplishing  it ; 
but  it  was  doue,  and  probably  could  and  would  have  been  done 
had  it  been  even  more  gigantic.  Of  this  obelisk  we  give  an  en- 
graving. Models  of  the  machinery  by  which  the  immense  mass 
was  erected,  are  now  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the  Louvre. 

This  is  also  proved  by  the  obelisks  that  have  been  transported 
to  Rome.  The  obelisk  which  now  stands  in  front  of  the  Vatican 
is  eighty-two  feet  six  inches  high,  and  eight  feet  ten  inches  at 
the  base.  It  was  brought  from  Egypt  by  the  ancient  Romans, 
and  was  found  by  the  Italians  in  the  ruins  of  the  Circus  of 
Nero.  It  was  set  up  in  its  present  place  in  1586.  When  it  was 
determined  to  remove  it  to  its  present  position,  it  is  said  no  less 
than  five  hundred  plans  were  submitted  to  the  Pope  by  differ- 
ent architects.  The  work  was  at  last  entrusted  to  Domenico 
Tantana.  There  were  employed  in  the  work  six  hundred  men, 
one  hundred  and  forty  horses,  and  nearly  fifty  cranes,  the  cost 
being  nearly  forty  thousand  dollars. 

But  even  this  was  outdone.  Another  of  these  obelisks  that 
was  removed  to  Rome  now  stands  in  front  of  the  Lateran 
Church.  This  seems  to  be  the  king  of  all  the  obelisks.  The 
single  monolithic  shaft,  after  a  portion  was  taken  off  to  accom- 
modate it  to  its  present  place,  is  one  hundred  and  five  feet 
seven  inches  high,  and  the  base  nearly  ten  feet  in  diameter. 
The  obelisk  at  Paris  weighs  five  hundred  thousand  pounds;  this 
one,  nine  hundred  thousand;  and  there  it  stands  in  a  modern  city, 
set  up  by  the  skill  of  modern  architects.  But  how  we  have 
wandered  from  Memphis.  Pardon  me,  I  was  only  vindicating 
the  power  and  skill  of  modern  nations.  I  do  not  believe  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  or  any  other  ancient  nation,  excelled  us. 
Modern  architects  can  move  as  heavy  masses  of  stone  as  any 
people  have  ever  moved. 

The  country  about  us  for  nine  miles  in  extent  was  covered 
by  this  great  city.  The  statue  upon  which  we  are  now  sitting, 
with  others  about  it,  marked  the  site  of  a  magnificent  temple. 


184 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


It  was  dedicated  to  Ptah,  their  ideal  image  of  the  Omnipotent 
Creative  Power.    Here,  too,  divine  honors  were  paid  to 

THE   BULL  APIS 

Here  he  was  kept  in  a  magnificent  in  closure  iand  treated  as 
a  god.  The  peculiarities  that  distinguished  him  was  a  white 
mark  on  his  forehead,  and  some  other  small  spots  on  his  body, 
the  rest  being  black.  He  was  kept  in  great  honor  and  pomp 
until  he  died ;  then  his  body  was  embalmed  and  placed  ip.  one 
of  the  immense  mummy  pits  of  which  we  have  before  spoken. 
Priests  appointed  for  the  purpose  were  then  sent  through  the 
land  to  look  out  his  successor,  and  when  one  was  found  bear- 
ing the  requisite  marks,  he  was  immediately  installed  with 
great  ovations,  banquets  and  demonstrations  of  joy,  in  the  place 
of  his  predecessor. 

Plutarch  says  Apis  was  a  fair  and  beautiful  image  of  the 
soul  of  Osiris.  Mnevis,  the  sacred  ox  of  Heliopolis,  was  also 
dedicated  to  Osiris,  and  both  received  the  highest  honors  of 
their  worship.  Mnevis  was  dedicated  to  the  sun;  Apis  to  the 
moon.  Pliny  says  he  was  not  only  looked  upon  as  an  emblem, 
but  was  deemed  by  the  Egyptians  a  god.  Here  an  immense  con- 
course of  people  annually  assembled  together,  and  a  grand  seven 
days'  festival  was  held  in  his  honor.  The  priests  led  him  about 
in  solemn  pomp,  and  all  the  people  shouted  and  did  him  rever- 
ence as  he  passed.  When  his  death  took  place,  a  public  lam- 
entation was  instituted,  and  continued  till  his  successor  was 
found.  Apis,  according  to  Pliny,  was  not  permitted  to  live  but 
twenty-live  years.  If  nature  prolonged  his  existence  till  that 
age,  he  was  taken  to  the  fountain  of  the  priests  and  drowned, 
the  act  being  accompanied  with  pompous  ceremonies.  His  fu- 
neral obsequies  when  dead  were  no  less  imposing  and  costly 
than  the  honors  paid  him  while  living.  It  is  said  that  some- 
times the  enormous  amount  of  one  hundred  talents  were  ex- 
pended on  the  funeral  of  a  single  beast.  Magnificent  temples 
of  other  gods  covered  and  adorned  the  country  around  us.  A 
gorgeous  temple  was  consecrated  to  Venus;  another  one  to 
Serapis.  Here,  too,  were  the  temple  and  sacred  grove  of  Pro- 
teus; enormous  statues,  beautiful  sculptures,  paved  areas,  and 


THE    TKIAL    OP    THE  DEAD. 


185 


avenues  of  sphinxes,  adorned  and  beautified  the  place.  "While 
in  imagination  we  rear  up  these  demolished  walls,  set  up  these 
fallen  statues,  and  walk  through  these  gorgeous  temples,  we  in- 
voluntarily exclaim :  "  How  was  it  possible  that  such  complete 
desolation  could  have  been  wrought?" 

THE   LAKE    AND    THE  DEAD. 

Eecall  once  more  the  wandering  imagination,  and  cast  the 
eye  along  yonder  plain,  skirted  by  the  sandy  desert  beyond. 
Here  was  the  famous  Acherusian  lake;  now  a  solitary  marsh 
and  a  dirty  pool  of  water  are  all  that  remain.  Here  was  a 
beautiful  sheet  of  water,  fed  by  canals,  its  shores  ornamented  by 
shady  groves  and  beautiful  parks.  These  were  the  waters 
over  which  the  dead  were  ferried  to  yonder  tombs  and  sepul- 
chres, the  number  and  multitude  of  which  attest  what  swarms 
of  the  living  must  once  have  been  congregated  about  us.  To 
this  lake  the  mummied  corpse  was  brought.  Forty-two  per- 
sons, constituted  judges,  ranged  themselves  around  the  remains 
of  the  departed  one.  "Has  anyone  aught  to  allege  against 
the  character  of  the  deceased?"  In  the  scales  of  justice  his  life 
was  balanced.  If  it  was  proved  he  had  spent  a  life  of  dissipa- 
tion and  vice,  transit  was  denied  him  till  his  friends  could  atone 
for  him.  Those  Elysian  Fields  and  those  quiet  shades  of  the 
departed  were  for  the  good  alone.  If  accepted,  the  ferryman 
received  the  pious  freight  and  bore  it  beyond  the  flood.  It  was 
these  Egyptian  funeral  rites  that  gave  rise  to  the  beautiful  fa- 
bles, that  were  afterwards  refined  and  improved  by  the  Greeks, 
of  the  river  Styx,  Charon  and  his  boat,  and  the  Elysian  Fields. 

Many  of  these  singular  customs  connected  w^ith  the  dead, 
might  afford  us  lessons  of  instruction  now.  "When  the  dead 
were  placed  on  trial,  any  person  that  chose  might  bring  an  ac- 
cusation. If  none  were  brought,  or  those  made  were  refuted, 
justification  by  the  judges  was  received  by  the  relatives  wTith 
loud  demonstrations  of  applause.  If  the  body  was  rejected, 
the  relatives  retired,  feeling  most  keenly  the  shame  and  reproach 
under  which  they  suffered. 

Some  were  rejected  in  consequence  of  immorality  of  life, 
some  in  consequence  of  debts  left  unpaid.    They  could  not  be 


186 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


allowed  to  pass  to  the  shades  of  their  fathers  with  the  odium 
of  unpaid  debts  resting  upon  them.  Rejected  bodies  were 
taken  back  to  their  desolate  homes,  and  the  coffins  kept  in 
various- places  of  deposit,  until,  by  a  long  series  of  religious  rites, 
sacrifices  and  offerings  upon  the  part  of  relatives,  their  sins  had 
been  expiated,  or,  if  debtors,  until  their  children  had  accumu- 
lated enough  to  liquidate  the  demands;  then  they  were  allowed 
to  be  transferred  to  the  everlasting  habitations  of  the  dead. 

These  obsequies  of  the  dead  seem  to  have  been  emblematic 
of  their  ideas  of  future  judgment  and  retribution.  I  saw  in 
Dr.  Abbott's  museum  in  New  York,  a  magnificent  funeral  pa- 
pyrus roll,  twenty-two  feet  long,  taken  from  one  of  the  very 
tombs  of  yonder  great  cemetery.  It  is  most  beautifully  written 
in  small  hieroglyphics,  containing  a  history  of  the  life  of  the 
deceased,  finely  ornamented  with  a  number  of  illustrations  or 
illuminated  sketches,  representing  remarkable  events  in  the  life 
of  the  person,  and  some  of  the  future  scenes  through  which 
he  is  supposed  to  pass.  In  one  of  these  is  a  beautiful  gilt  rep- 
resentation of  the  sacred  bull.  The  deceased  is  held  supported 
by  two  or  more  gods.  In  another  place  in  the  roll  is  a  picture 
of  the  Hall  of  the  Two  Truths,  with  the  god  Osiris  sitting  in 
judgment,  assisted  by  the  forty-two  judges,  standing  near  him. 
Before  him  appears  the  soul  of  the  deceased,  accompanied  by 
Anubis,  the  guardian  of  the  tombs,  and  the  Ibis-headed  god 
Thoth.  This  god  has  been  writing  down  the  history  of  the 
departed,  and  has  collected  all  his  good  deeds.  The  result  is 
made  known  by  the  god  Thoth  to  Osiris,  who  awards  such 
punishment  as  he  and  his  forty-two  assistants  deem  best. 

No  position  of  wealth  or  rank  purchased  exemption  from 
the  stern  award  of  these  forty- two  judges.  The  king  and  the 
beggar  must  alike  stand  the  test.  Diodorus  tells  us  of  Egyp- 
tian monarchs  having  been  condemned  by  this  tribunal,  and 
their  bodies  refused  a  ferriage  across  these  waters.  Nor  was 
this  without  effect  on  their  successors.  It  made  them  stand  in 
awe  of  so  disgraceful  a  censure  after  death.  The  dreaded 
stigma  attached  to  it  often  promoted  virtuous  conduct  and 
created  a  laudable  ambition  to  secure  the  good  opinion  of  their 
subjects.     That  lake,  and  those  judgment  scenes,  have  lessons 


AN    AFEECTJNG  MEETING. 


187 


for  us.  Vividly  do  they  remind  us  of  the  Christian's  Jordan 
of  death,  and  of  our  transit  to  the  presence  of  the  great  Judge 
of  all  the  earth,  and  the  solemn  awards  of  an  impartial  tri- 
bunal. But  this  was  not  merely  a  city  of  gods,  and  temples, 
and  statutes ;  here  was 

THE  PALACE   OP   THE  PHARAOHS. 

In  this,  the  capital  of  Lower  Egypt,  these  renowned  princes 
held  their  court.  From  where  we  now  sit  went  out  the  law 
that  governed  the  land.  Here  princely  banquets  were  held, 
and  royal  processions  marched  in  regal  pomp.  Ay,  this  very 
block  of  stone  on  which  we  now  sit  was  the  representative  of 
one  of  these  royal  monarchs.  He,  like  his  throne,  his  kingdom 
and  country,  has  fallen.  Alas,  how  changed  the  scene  !  Again 
history  lifts  the  vail,  and  the  strange  records  of  the  past  are 
floating  by.  Here  Joseph  was  exalted  and  honored.  How 
strangely  these  Hebrews  have  been  elevated  into  power  in 
different  lands,  and  aj:  the  courts  of  different  kings.  Joseph,  in 
I Egypt;  Daniel,  in  Babylon;  Ezra,  in  the  court  of  Cyrus; 
Nehemiah,  in  the  palace  of  Shushan  ;  Esther,  in  the  royal 
chamber  of  Ahasuerus.  God's  people  have  never  failed  to 
have  a  friend  at  court,  when  it  has  been  necessary  for  their 
comfort  or  protection — yes,  and  they  have  an  ever-living  one 
at  the  great  court  of  the  universe,  who  has  power  to  prevail  for 
them. 

JOSEPH   AND   HIS  BRETHREN. 

Rear  up  again  the  walls  of  yonder  palace,  that  stood  just  on 
that  eminence  before  us,  where  those  palm  trees  give  shade  to 
that  miserable  Arab  hut.  Look  in  through  the  open  gate  and 
witness  the  scene  that  is  transpiring  there.  Eleven  rough 
looking  strangers  are  gathered  around  the  prime  minister  of 
Egypt.  He  looks  angrily  upon  them,  and  speaks  harshly  to 
them.  They  are  accused  of  deception  and  perfidy.  Indeed, 
the  silver  cup  had  been  found  in  the  sack  of  Benjamin  the 
younger,  and  him  the  stern  authoritative  prince  threatens  to 
detain.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  a  doting  father,  and  his 
brothers  well  knew  the  struggling  emotions  of  the  old  man's 
heart  at  parting  with  him,  and  the  fears  he  had  expressed  that 


188 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


he  should  see  him  no  more.  Judah,  the  elder  brother,  now 
stands  forth  to  plead  their  cause.  The  solemn  pledge  he  had 
given  his  father  that  he  would  bring  Benjamin  with  him,  made 
him  earnest;  the  fears  and  anxieties  that  agitated  his  breast, 
made  him  eloquent.  "What  an  earnest  plea  !  How  ingenuous  ! 
how  touching  !  how  pathetic  !  "  0  my  lord !  let  thy  servant, 
I  pray  thee,  speak  a  word  in  my  lord's  ears,  and  let  not  thine 
anger  burn  against  thy  servant,  for  thou  art  even  as  Pharaoh." 
He  then  rehearses  in  plain  and  simple  language  the  account  of 
their  former  visit,  and  how  they  had  been  denied  another 
audience,  unless  Benjamin  was  with  them.  "  And  our  father 
said,  go  again,  and  buy  us  a  little  food.  And  we  said,  we 
cannot  go  down  if  our  younger  brother  is  not  with  us.  And 
thy  servant  my  father  said  unto  us :  Ye  know  how  that  my 
wife  bare  me  two  sons,  and  the  one  went  out  from  me,  and  I 
said,  surely  he  is  torn  to  pieces,  and  I  saw  him  not  since.  And 
if  ye  ask  this  also  from  me,  and  mischief  befall  him,  ye  shall 
bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  .to  the  grave.  Now, 
therefore,  when  I  come  to  thy  servant  my  father,  and  the  lad- 
be  not  with  us,  seeing  that  his  life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life, 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  he  seeth  the  lad  is  not  with  us,  that 
he  will  die:  and  thy  servants  shall  bring  down  the  gray  hairs 
of  thy  servant  our  father  with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  How  shall 
I  go  up  to  my  father,  and  the  lad  be  not  with  me?  lest  perad- 
venture  I  see  the  evil  that  shall  come  upon  my  father." 

His  plea  was  unaffected,  unstudied,  unadorned.  He  supposed 
he  was  addressing  an  utter  stranger  to  his  father's  family  ;  and 
had  he  been  a  stranger,  would  not  the  appeal  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  touch  the  heart  imbued  with  the  common  feelings  of 
humanity?  Little  did  he  know  whom  he  was  addressing! 
Little  did  he  imagine  how  those  tender  allusions  to  a  father's 
gray  hairs,  and  a  father's  bitter  sorrows,  were  awakening  in 
that  prime  minister  remembrances  of  childhood  and  youth, 
kindling  anew  the  glow  of  filial  affection,  and  stirring  to  pro- 
foundest  depths  the  living  fountains  of  a  yearning  heart. 

Joseph  could  refrain  himself  no  longer.  The  fountain  was 
full.  He  cried,  "  Cause  every  man  to  go  out  from  me ;  "  and  he 
stood  alone  with  his  brethren.     "I  am  Joseph;  cloth  my 


A    SINGULAR  PROVIDENCE. 


189 


father  yet  live?'7  And  he  wept  aloud  ;  and  the  Egyptians  and 
the  house  of  Pharaoh  heard  him.  And  he  fell  upon  his  brother 
Benjamin's  neck  and  wept,  and  Benjamin  wept  upon  his  neck. 
Where  in  all  the  annals  of  human  events  is  there  a  more  strik- 
ing picture  of  brotherly  affection  than  this?  Nature,  unadorned, 
undisguised,  giving  unfeigned  and  truthful  utterance  to  her 
emotions.  How  strange  it  seems,  to  be  standing  upon  the  very 
soil  that  witnessed  that  affecting  meeting  of  Joseph  and  his 
brethren  !  But  stranger  events  than  that  have  transpired  upon 
this  very  spot,  and  even  within  the  walls  of  that  palace  we  are 
now  contemplating.  God  makes  the  wrath  of  man  praise  him, 
and  even  the  enemies  of  his  people  the  instruments  of  advanc- 
ing the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness.  From  the  waters  of 
yonder  river,  the  daughter  of  a  proud  monarch  rescues  a  per- 
ishing Hebrew  infant. 

THE    CHILD  MOSES 

Is  brought  into  this  very  palace.  Here  he  is  reared  up  in 
the  midst  of  the  associations  of  wealth,  royalty,  and  all  the 
pomp  and  pageantry  of  idolatrous  worship.  Here  he  spent  his 
boyhood.  Here  and  in  yonder  city  of  the  priests — the  City  of 
the  Sun,  we  have  before  visited — he  was  educated,  and  became 
learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians.  But  the  sophisms 
of  their  philosophy,  the  arts  of  their  magicians,  and  the  vailed 
mysteries  of  their  priests,  could  not  annihilate  in  that  young 
heart  the  love  of  his  kindred,  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God, 
his  maker  and  preserver.  Buried  for  a  season  this  purer  knowl- 
edge and  these  liolier  instincts  might  have  been;  but  like  a  liv- 
ing germ,  implanted  by  the  hand  of  Divinity,  they  sprung  up, 
and  took  deep  root  in  the  soil  of  his  sanctified  heart.  They 
flourished  the  more  vigorously  as  they  lifted  themselves  above 
the  rotten  systems  of  philosophy  and  religion  that  surrounded 
them. 

Forty  years  he  shared  the  honors,  the  privileges,  the  emolu- 
ments, the  luxuries  of  one  of  the  most  renowned  and  powerful 
courts  of  the  world.  But  a  great  question  was  to  be  settled, 
and  the  time  for  a  decision  had  come.  I  wonder  if  it  was  not 
just  here  where  we  are  sitting,  under  the  overshadowing  walls 


190 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


of  this  great  heathen  temple,  he  came,  pondering  the  great 
question  that,  like  a  crushing  burden,  was  pressing  him  down? 
It  was  in  faith  his  mother  laid  him  in  the  bulrushes.  That  holy- 
faith  of  a  mother's  heart  had  taken  root  in  his  own,  and  with 
mighty  throes  was  now  struggling  for  the  victory :  "  I  am  the 
son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter.  Yonder  palace  may  be  mine.  The 
scepter  of  power,  the  honors  of  royalty,  the  emoluments  and 
luxuries  of  a  regal  home,  are  all  within  my  reach.  Can  I  give 
them  up?  Yonder  are  my  people,  my  kindred;  I  know  the 
bitterness  of  their  bondage;  how  the  earth  is  stained  with  their 
blood  and  watered  with  their  tears.  Can  I  become  deaf  to  the 
groans  of  my  kindred?  Can  I  renounce  the  faith  of  my  fath- 
ers? Can  I  deny  the  mother  that  bore  me?"  He  bows  his 
head  and  buries  his  face  in  the  folds  of  his  garment.  His 
strong  frame  trembles  with  the  heaving  emotions  that,  like  a 
pent  up  volcano,  convulse  his  heart.  It  is  but  for  a  moment. 
Faith  triumphs !  With  a  calm  serenity  of  countenance,  a 
fixed  and  holy  purpose  of  heart,  he  stands  a  conqueror  before 
us.  The  conclusion  is  given  in  the  words  of  inspiration  :  "By 
faith,  Moses,  when  he  was  come  to  years,  refused  to  be  called 
the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter;  choosing  rather  to  suffer  afflic- 
tion with  the  people  of  God  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin 
for  a  season."  "Farewell,  ye  temples  of  the  gods!  I  have 
chosen  and  will  serve  a  God  who  shall  lay  you  even  with  the 
dust.  Farewell,  palace  and  court !  I  seek  the  honors  of  a  king- 
dom that  shall  endure  when  thy  thrones  and  monuments,  thy 
mighty  pyramids,  yea,  the  great  world  itself,  shall  have  perished 
forever." 

MOSES'   RETURN   TO    THIS  COURT. 

Forty  years  Moses  was  an  exile  from  the  land  of  his  birth. 
He  led  his  flocks  in  the  wilderness ;  and  in  the  solitude  of  the 
desert  he  communed  with  God.  It  was  a  great  change  from 
princely  associations  with  priests  and  courtiers,  to  a  monotonous 
attendance  upon  the  flocks  of  Jethro,  in  the  desolate  regions  of 
Sinai.  But  he  had  voluntarily  made  his  choice,  and  was  con- 
tent with  his  home  and  occupation.  The  forty  years  of  Moses' 
exile  had  expired.    What  changes  had  taken  place  in  these* 


MOSES    BEFOEE  PHARAOH. 


191 


princely  mansions  none  can  now  tell.  But  here  the  king  of  the 
land  still  held  his  court.  Here  Moses,  perhaps  long  forgotten, 
once  more  presents  himself  in  the  audience  chamber  of  the 
monarch  of  the  land.  He  was  eighty  years  old ;  the  vigor  of 
undecayed  manhood  was  in  his  step,  the  dignity  of  age  adorned 
his  brow.  There  was  an  expression  in  the  whole  aspect  of  the 
man  that  excited  reverence  and  awe,  and  told  in  language  that 
could  not  be  misunderstood,  that  here  was  one  who  came 
neither  to  trifle  or  be  trifled  with.  He  well  knew  the  arbitrary 
power  of  the  monarch  in  whose  presence  he  stood — that  he 
might  be  spurned  with  contempt  from  the  throne  or  ordered  to 
execution.  But  he  had  not  come  with  his  strange  commission 
from  the  burning  bush,  and  from  the  astounding  miracles  of  the 
trembling  mount,  to  be  overawed  in  the  presence  of  man. 
Without  apology  or  circumlocution,  he  performs  his  errand. 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  let  my  people  go." 

Then  followed  such  a  struggle  between  the  hardness  and 
stubbornness  of  a  rebellious  human  heart,  and  the  terrible  ex- 
hibitions of  power  on  the  part  of  Almighty  God,  as  was  never 
before  or  has  since  been  witnessed.  Sitting  here  on  this  fallen 
statue,  at  the  threshold-  of  the  very  palace  where  Moses  met 
the  stern  monarch  of  Egypt,  how  vividly  the  recollection  of 
these  things  is  awakened !  How  we  seem  to  stand  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  plagues  that  smote  a  rebellious  people !  Here 
Moses  casts  down  his  rod  and  it  becomes  a  serpent,  swallowing 
up  the  rods  of  the  astonished  magicians.  See  yonder  river,  a 
frightful  flood  of  purple  gore;  swarms  of  frogs  arising  from 
the  waters;  lice,  flies  and  locusts  troubling  and  devouring  the 
land.  Hear  the  rattling  hail  as  it  smites  man  and  beast,  when 
the  heavens  shook  with  awful  thunders,  and  fearful  lightnings 
ran  along  the  ground.  Stand  in  the  midst  of  the  gloomy  dark- 
ness that  enveloped  court,  palace,  city  and  all  the  land;  hear  the 
wailings  that  come  up  from  all  these  numerous  dwellings  over 
their  first  born,  smitten  by  the  angel  of  death.  The  magicians 
of  the  land  were  outdone  and  confounded;  they  said:  "This 
is  the  finger  of  God."  Here  Jehovah  taught  the  impotency  of 
all  the  false  and  idol  gods  of  Egypt.    He  vindicated  his  own 


192 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


omnipotence.  Pharaoh  was  overawed  and  humbled,  and  God's 
people  escaped  from  the  oppressor.  What 

INSTRUCTIVE  LESSONS. 

What  strange  sensations  one  feels  in  walking  over  these  ruins 
of  former  times!  Here  are  great  mounds,  beneath  which  lie 
the  wrecks  of  costly  palaces  and  magnificent  temples,  with  their 
altars  and  their  gods.  Here  all  was  vocal  with  the  hum  of  life, 
and  halls  and  streets  echoed  to  the  tramp  of  countless  multi- 
tudes. Now  the  solitary  palm  trees  make  doleful  music  as  the 
stray  winds  of  heaven  play  among  their  branches.  A  few  reck- 
less Arabs  wander  here  and  there  in  stolid  indifference  of  the 
past  or  the  future.  They  have  picked  up  from  the  ruins  a  few 
fragments  of  mutilated  heads,  feet  and  hands  of  sculptured 
idols,  in  hopes  of  gathering  a  few  piasters  by  their  exhibition 
to  the  inquisitive  traveler;  little  thinking  that  the  pile  of  ruins 
they  have  thus  gleaned  are  a  standing  comment  on  the  pro- 
phetic declaration  of  God's  word :  "  The  idols  of  JSToph  shall 
be  broken." 

And  thou,  fallen  and  ruined  statue,  from  which  I  have  been 
permitted  to  survey  this  place !  What  changes  thou  hast  seen  ? 
Temples,  palaces  and  gods  have  crumbled  to  dust  around  thee; 
thy  fellows  that  held  companionship  with  thee  have  perished ; 
i  and  thou,  too,  hast  fallen,  never  again  to  rise.  Seated  upon  thy 
prostrate  form,  what  lessons  I  have  been  taught !  The  weak- 
ness and  folly  of  man,  the  vanity  of  human  greatness  and 
pride,  the  power,  glory  and  wisdom  of  Almighty  God,  have  all 
passed  before  .me.  Farewell!  Farewell!  Thy  grave  is  dug; 
the  storms  of  heaven  have  pillowed  thy  head  upon  the  uncon- 
scious earth;  the  winds  of  heaven  are  bringing  the  sands  of 
yonder  desert,  and  wrapping  them,  like  a  winding  sheet,  about 
thee.  Soon  even  thou,  gigantic  as  thou  art,  the  only  remaining 
monument  of  this  once  powerful  and  opulent  city,  will  be  seen 
no  more.  Thanks  for  the  lessons  thou  hast  taught  me.  I  will 
bear  them  with  me  to  my  far  off  home  in  the  distant  West,  and 
ponder  them  there.  In  imagination  I  shall  often  visit  thee,  and 
.sitting  here  on  thy  ruined  form  trace  the  hand  of  God  in  what 
has  transpired  about  thee;  and  looking  out  upon  the  blank 


FAKEWELL    TO  MEMPHIS. 


193 


that  now  exists  where  this  great  city  once  stood,  read  as  upon 
a  written  tablet  the  great  lessons  the  overruling  providence  of 
God  has  recorded  here.    Farewell ! 

$ 

THE  RETURN. 

As  we  were  about  to  leave  the  place,  three  or  four  repulsive 
looking  Arabs,  in  scarecrow  habiliments,  made  importunate 
overtures  for  a  backsheesh  for  showing  us  what  we  could  not 
avoid  seeing.  Perhaps  they  looked  at  it  in  the  light  of  a  tres- 
pass fee  for  walking  over  their  grounds.  We  selected  the  one 
who  appeared  to  be  a  sort  of  sheik  among  the  rest,  gave  him  a 
few  piasters  as  a  sort  of  peace  offering,  bade  them  good-bye, 
mounted  our  donkeys,  turned  our  backs  upon  the  ancient  home 
of  the  Pharaohs,  and  retraced  our  steps  through  the  beautiful 
palm  groves  towards  Cairo. 


194 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Mosques  of  Grand  Cairo — Citadel  and  Massacre  of  the 
Mamalukes — Preparations  for  a  Journey  to  Sinai. 

It  is  worth  something  to  the  tourist,  when  he  plans  his  ar- 
rangements for  the  day,  to  know  the  skies  will  he  propitious. 
Such  is  one  of  the  privileges  of  this  climate.  As  the  songs  of  a 
thousand  birds  awake  you  from  your  slumbers,  and  the  sun 
climbs  his  golden  pathway,  you  feel  that  the  gorgeous  heavens 
are  all  his  own  domain.  He  ascends  in  majesty  to  the  throne 
of  day,  and  no  pavilion  of  clouds  attend  his  pathway.  He  rolls 
downward  and  sinks  into  the  chambers  of  the  west,  and  no 
great  mountains  of  fleecy  vapor  are  piled  about  him  to  reflect 
the  glory  of  his  parting  rays.  As  we  are  sure  of  a  pleasant 
day,  and  have  a  variety  of  interesting  objects  to  visit,  where 
shall  I  take  you  ? 

A  CARRIAGE  drive. 

To-day  there  are  several  of  us  in  company,  and  two  ladies  in 
the  party;  what  mode  of  conveyance  shall  we  choose?  Here 
are  plenty  of  donkeys,  but  none  of  them  have  ladies'  equip- 
ments. The  Egyptian  ladies  have  a  mode  of  riding  very  shock- 
ins:  to  the  refined  taste  of  our  advanced  civilization.  We  will 
take  a  carriage — a  luxury  not  often  indulged  in  by  Cairenes, 
and  there  are  but  few  in  the  place.  It  is  a  long,  aristocratic 
step,  in  this  oriental  city,  from  a  donkey's  back  to  a  coach  drawn 
by  horses,  driven  by  a  swarthy,  turban ed  Arab,  with  a  young 
stripling  of  the  same  stock  to  run  behind  you  and  act  as  valet. 
Though  carriages  are  scarce,  the  expense  after  all  is  not  great, 
compared  with  our  own  cities.  Three  and  a  half  to  four  dol- 
lars and  a  little  backsheesh,  will  secure  the  whole  establishment, 
little  page  and  all,  for  the  day.    So  jump  in  with  us,  and  see 


MOHAMMEDAN    WOKS  HI  P. 


197 


what  there  is  to  be  seen.  We  have  been  through  the  bazars, 
aud  around  the  crooked,  narrow  streets ;  looked  upon  the  strange, 
old  houses,  and  gazed  at  wedding  and  funeral  processions,  and 
laughed  at  the  queer  looking  costumes — where  next? 

THE    MOSQUES   OF  CAIRO 

Are  one  of  its  most  striking  peculiarities;  we  will  turn  our 
attention  first  to  them.  The  mosque  is  to  the  Moslem  what  the 
church  or  cathedral  is  to  the  Christian  in  Catholic  countries, 
always  open,  and  made  a  place  of  public  prayer.  Here  the 
devout  come  at  all  times  a  day  to  perform  their  devotions.  Fri- 
day is  the  Mohammedan  sabbath,  but  the  child  of  the  Prophet 
does  not  on  this  day  abstain  from  his  ordinary  work,  except 
during  the  hour  of  prayer,  about  midday,  and  then  the  mosques 
are  usually  crowded. 

Cairo  contains  at  least  four  hundred  mosques.  They  are  gen- 
erally built  of  stone,  and  to  make  them  more  attractive  in  ex- 
ternal appearance,  the  alternate  layers  are  of  different  colors, 
first  red,  then  white.  If  the  mosque  is  large,  it  is  built  around 
a  central  square  or  court,  like  eastern  dwellings.  Around  this 
court  a  portico  is  built,  and  in  the  center  of  it  is  a  tank  or  foun- 
tain of  water  for  ablution.  A  good  supply  of  water  seems  to 
be  considered  indispensable  among  Mohammedans  to  purity  of 
worship.  For  this  reason,  advantage  is  often  taken  of  foun- 
tains of  water  along  public  thoroughfares  to  erect  oratories  or 
places  of  prayer,  that  travelers  stopping  to  refresh  themselves 
may  not  only  perform  their  ablutions,  but  their  devotions. 
Structures  are  built  over  the  fountains,  and  a  platform  raised 
with  a  little  monument  upon  the  end  towards  Mecca,  that  the 
worshipers  may  know  which  way  to  turn  their  faces  when  they 
kneel. 

The  side  of  the  building  facing  Mecca  is  the  most  important 
one ;  the  portico  on  this  side  is  more  spacious,  and  has  one  or 
two  extra  rows  of  columns.  This  side  of  the  mosque  is  the 
place  of  prayer,  and  here  is  usually  the  main  audience  room. 
A  niche  in  the  wall  marks  the  direction  of  Mecca,  and  in  that 
direction  the  face  of  the  worshipers  are  always  turned.  To  the 
right  of  this  niche  stands  the  pulpit,  and  on  the  opposite  side 
12 


198 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


of  the  room  from  this  niche  there  is  usually  a  raised  platform, 
supported  by  small  columns,  on  which  is  arranged  a  desk  or 
table,  upon  which  is  kept  a  volume  of  the  Koran,  and  from  it, 
on  various  occasion,  a  chapter  is  read  to  the  congregation. 
The  interior  of  these  mosques  is  usually  quite  plain.  Over  the 
columns  running  around  the  interior  of  the  main  room  is  a 
sort  of  entablature,  looking  much  like  the  fronts  of  the  galle- 
ries in  our  churches.  These  are  ornamented  with  various  de- 
vices, usually  texts  from  the  Koran,  sometimes  in  stucco,  some- 
times carved.  ~No  representations  of  animals  or  men  or  any 
thing  that  has  life  are  allowed  in  their  ornaments.  The  floors 
have  no  seats,  and  are  covered  with  matting,  to  accommodate 
the  kneeling  worshipers. 

All  distinctions  of  rank  are  laid  aside  in  the  mosque.  The 
rich  man  may  have  a  servant  to  bring  in  a  prayer-carpet  and 
spread  it  for  him,  but  this  is  all.  On  these  floors  the  rich  and 
the  poor  pray  side  by  side.  "And  what  respect  and  privilege 
are  allowed  the  women,"  I  hear  you  ask,  "in  these  arrange- 
ments for  the  worship  of  the  Prophet?"  Did  you  ever  know 
any  but  a  Christian  land  where  the  daughters  of  Eve  were 
treated  as  intelligent,  immortal  and  accountable  beings,  bearing 
equally  with  the  man  the  impress  of  God's  Divine  image? 
There  is  no  prohibition  in  the  Koran  that  shuts  females  out  of 
the  mosque,  but  they  are  taught  it  is  better  for  them  to  pray  in 
private.  In  some  countries  they  are  allowed  to  enter  the 
mosques,  but  in  Cairo  no  females  or  young  boys  are  allowed  to 
pray  with  the  congregation  in  the  mosques,  or  even  to  be  pres- 
ent.   Indeed,  it  is  said  females  here  seldom  pray  at  all! 

MOSQUE   OF   AMER   AND   MOSQUE   OP  TAYLOON. 

The  oldest  Mohammedan  temple  in  Egypt  is  the  mosque  of 
Amer,  at  Old  Cairo.  This  was  the  site  of  the  ancient  Egyptian 
Babylon.  It  was  erected  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  years 
after  Christ,  upon  the  spot  where  Amer,  with  his  conquering 
Saracen  forces,  encamped,  in  the  first  subjugation  of  Egypt  to 
the  Moslem  power.  It  now  stands  amid  the  mounds  and  rub- 
bish of  the  ruined  houses  that  have  fallen  into  decay  around  it. 
It  is  an  object  of  interest  and  curiosity,  as  a  monument  of  the 


MOSQUES    OF    GEAND    CAIRO.  199 

architectural  taste  and  skill  of  those  ancient  and  semi-barbaric 
times.  But  that  one  we  have  not  now  time  to  visit.  Let  us 
turn  our  attention  to  those  in  the  city  through  which  we  are 
now  driving.  Here  is  the  next  oldest  mosque  in  Egypt — the 
mosque  of  Tayloon. 

Here  we  must  alight  and  enter.  It  is  something  to  walk 
over  pavements  where  Caliphs,  monarchs  and  military  dictators 
walked  more  than  one  thousand  years  ago,  and  there  is  no  diffi- 
culty now  in  entering  a  Moslem  mosque  in  Grand  Cairo,  even 
though  thou  art  a  Frank  and  a  Christian.  Once  it  was  not  so ; 
these  doors  were  all  banned  and  barred,  and  no  infidel  could 
cross  the  threshold.  Thanks  to  French  influence  and  authority, 
and  to  Mohammed  Ali,  for  a  more  liberal  policy.  One  little 
ceremony,  however,  must  not  be  forgotten — do  not  attempt  to 
enter  with  your  clumsy,  thick-soled  boots.  Those  devout  at- 
tendants would  lift  up  their  hands  in  holy  horror,  and  order 
you  back  as  a  polluter  of  their  sanctuary.  There  are  always  a 
number  of  truckling  parasites  about  the  door,  with  a  supply  of  * 
slippers  for  Frank  visitors.  It  would  be  a  commendable  act  in 
them  if  they  did  it  out  of  reverence  for  the  sanctuary,  but  the 
cringing  beggars  only  want  a  backsheesh  .  JsTever  mind,  a  sin- 
gle piaster  will  satisfy  them  for  the  use  of  a  pair.  Slip  them 
on  and  let  us  enter. 

This  mosque  was  founded  in  the  year  879,  ninety  years  before 
any  other  part  of  the  city  was  built.  This  is  shown  by  two  in- 
scriptions in  ancient  Cufic  characters  on  a  portion  of  the  wall 
of  one  of  the  courts.  Within  the  colonnades,  along  the  cornice, 
above  the  arches,  are  ancient  Cufic  inscriptions  on  wood.  The 
Arabic  character  it  is  said  was  adopted  A.  D.  950,  but  the  Cufic 
continued  to  be  used  long  after,  and  as  late  as  1508,  both  Arabic 
and  Cufic  were  employed. 

One  thing  about  this  ancient  structure  of  special  interest  to 
architects,  is  the  pointed  arches  employed  in  its  construction. 
The  origin  of  the  pointed  arch,  and  what  people  first  used  it, 
has  been  a  subject  of  controversy.  This  building  it  is  said 
proves  the  existence  of  the  pointed  arch  here  three  hundred 
years  before  its  introduction  into  England.  But  what  care  we 
for  the  disputes  of  builders  about  the  different  kinds  of  arches 


200 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


and  the  time  of  their  invention?  Let  us  look  about  the  mosque 
and  be  gone.  Is  there  any  thing  more  to  see?  Nothing  of 
special  interest  in  the  interior.  It  is  certainly  a  dirty,  gloomy 
looking  place.  The  dust  of  age  and  the  mold  of  decay  is 
over  all  its  interior,  and  no  pains  seem  to  be  taken  to  keep  it 
clean  or  make  it  attractive.  Perhaps  these  Moslems  think  no 
such  aids  to  devotion  are  necessary. 

But  let  us  ascend  the  minaret  and  look  out  upon  the  city. 
The  ascent,  unlike  any  other  mosque  we  have  seen,  is  an  exte- 
rior spiral  stairway.  The  exposure  of  a  thousand  years  have 
well  nigh  ruined  it.  The  stone  steps  are  broken  and  crumbling, 
and  the  ascent  dangerous.  But  once  upon  the  top  you  are  well 
repaid  for  the  risk  of  the  ascent.  The  mosque  is  upon  an  em- 
inence, and  the  minaret  lifts  you  far  above  all  surrounding 
buildings.  The  whole  city  lies  at  your  feet,  and  you  gaze  long 
and  earnestly  upon  the  novel  sight.  And  why  was  this  an- 
cient structure  built?  Not  merely  for  a  place  of  worship.  It 
*  is  a  tomb  and  a  monument.  In  yonder  consecrated  corner, 
protected  by  an  ornamental  railing,  repose  the  ashes  of  Gama 
Tayloon.  He  reigned  from  A.  D.  868  to  A.  D.  884.  Peace  to 
his  sleeping  dust !  Earth  opens  her  bosom  and  pillows  alike 
upon  her  cold  clay  the  head  of  the  warrior  and  saint,  the  vas- 
sal and  the  slave. 

Get  past  the  door  the  best  you  can,  for  it  is  not  the  poor  me- 
nial alone  who  lent  you  the  slippers  that  will  want  a  back- 
sheesh. Where  should  beggars  go  for  charity  but  to  the  door 
of  the  church?  and  who  is  expected  to  give  alms  if  it  is  not  the 
man  that  prays?    Let  us  drive  to 

THE   MOSQUE   OF   SULTAN  HASSAN. 

And  what  has  this  to  distinguish  it  among  the  four  hundred 
mosques  of  the  city,  that  we  have  selected  it  for  a  special  visit? 
It  is  said  to  be  the  most  beautiful  specimen  of  Arabian  archi- 
tecture in  Cairo,  and  some  pronounce  it  the  most  perfect  reli- 
gious structure  in  the  country.  It  was  built  about  A.  D.  1350. 
The  materials  for  its  erection  were  procured  by  an  act  of  van- 
dalism we  can  scarcely  pardon.    Yon  mighty  pyramid  of 


MOSQUES    OF    GRAND    CAIRO.  201 

Cheops  was  the  quarry  whence  these  stones  were  brought.  Its 
founder  would  not  scruple  to  ruin  a  tomb  to  build  a  church. 

The  usual  slip-shod  preparation  must  be  observed  before  we 
enter,  that  the  consecrated  floor  be  not  polluted  with  unholy  dust. 
The  interior  so  much  extolled  is  only  beautiful  as  compared 
with  similar  structures  of  the  city.  It  has  symmetry  of  propor- 
tion, magnificent  arches,  and  elaborateness  of  ornament.  The 
arch  on  the  side  of  the  court  towards  Mecca  has  a  span  of  over 
sixty-nine  feet.  Chains  are  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  on 
which  are  hung  lamps  of  colored  glass.  But  the  whole  interior 
has  a  dusty  and  neglected  look,  that  speaks  in  unmistakable 
language  of  the  want  of  refinement  and  taste  that  character- 
ize the  Moslem  votaries  who  congregate  here. 

This  mosque  is  also  a  mausoleum  for  the  dead.  In  one  por- 
tion of  it  is  a  spacious  room,  covered  with  a  lofty  dome  of  wood, 
and  ornamented  with  various  devices  of  plaster  work.  A  space 
in  the  center  is  protected  by  a  railing.  It  incloses  the  tomb  of 
Sultan  Hassan.  On  the  head  of  the  tomb  is  laid  a  large  and 
splendid  copy  of  the  Koran,  magnificently  illuminated  with 
golden  colors.  The  inmate  of  that  tomb  was  murdered  in  this 
very  sanctuary  by  the  Mamalukes,  and  the  stains  of  his  blood 
are  still  shown  upon  the  beautifully  tesselated  marble  pave- 
ment. 

There  are  several  other  mosques  that  are  deemed  worthy  of 
special  note,  but  we  shall  not  have  time  to  visit  them.  'In  none 
that  I  entered  was  there  any  thing  to  promote  either  cheerful- 
ness or  devotion.  There  is  over  them  all  a  melancholy  air  of 
neglect  and  decay,  emblematic,  I  could  not  but  think,  of  the 
downfall  of  an  effete  and  decaying  system  of  faith.  Let  us 
drive  to 

THE  CITADEL. 

And  what  is  the  citadel?  It  is  the  fortress  of  the  city,  the 
tower  of  its  defense,  the  depository  of  its  munitions  of  war. 
It  stands  upon  a  hill,  its  massive,  frowning  walls  overlooking, 
upon  one  side,  the  city;  upon  the  other,  the  great  barren  desert 
that  stretches  away  towards  the  Red  Sea.  Let  us  first  ascend 
yon  elevated  platform,  and  get  a  view  of  the  city  and  surround- 


202 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


ing  country.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  that  can  be  obtained.  First 
cast  your  eye  away  across  yonder  to  the  edge  of  the  Lybian 
desert,  and  see  the  time-defying  pyramids,  from  the  top  of 
which  we  have  before  contemplated  this  land  of  the  Pharaohs. 
Once  more  look  up  and  down  the  winding  pathway  of  the  Nile, 
slowly  weaving  his  serpentine  folds  through  groves  of  palm 
and  along  green  and  flowery  banks.  Mark  the  numerous  villa- 
ges of  mud  hovels  scattered  here  and  there  over  the  plain. 
Then  recall  the  wandering  sight,  and  fix  one  long,  earnest  gaze 
upon  the  city  of  three  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  at  your 
feet.  Trace  the  circuitous  course  of  the  walls  that  inclose  it, 
the  great  mosques  that  rise  above  the  ruins  that  encircle  them, 
the  multitude  of  minarets  that  crown  them  all,  one  of  the  most 
marked  and  striking  peculiarities  of  a  Mohammedan  land. 
How  one's  thoughts  wander,  as  he  thus  looks  over  the  land. 
He  stands  gazing  like  a  statue,  lost  in  dreamy  abstraction,  not 
at  the  grandeur  or  beauty  of  the  scene,  but  in  the  mazes  of  the 
wonderful  histories  of  the  past.  But  we  must  not  stand  gazing 
from  this  elevated  portion  of  the  citadel ;  we  came  to  see  the  in- 
terior of  these  old  gray  walls  and  towering  battlements. 

Here  is  a  splendid  palace  of  the  Pasha,  to  which  he  can  flee, 
and  where  he  can  shut  himself  up,  when  the  invaders  drive  him 
from  yonder  beautiful  gardens  of  Shoobra.  Just  by  it  is  the 
harem,  with  beautiful  fountains  and  miniature  gardens.  Around 
us,  too,  are  the  munitions  of  war.  Here,  too,  trained  bands, 
platoons,  battalions  and  brigades  perform  their  evolutions. 
Here  cannon,  swivel  and  howitzer  stand  ready  balanced  to  wel- 
come the  coming  foe.  Here  fire-arms  and  side-arms,  pike,  lance 
and  spear,  bayonet,  sword  and  cimeter,  are  all  in  readiness  for 
the  work  of  death.  But  there  are  two  or  three  places  to  which 
we  must  pay  a  special  visit.    Let  us  take  a  look  at 

JOSEPH'S  WELL 

A  citadel  without  water,  in  the  time  of  siege,  would  be  worse 
than  the  doom  of  Tantalus.  The  efforts  to  supply  this  place 
with  that  necessary  beverage  is  certainly  worthy  of  the  presid- 
ing genius  of  the  land,  in  the  days  of  Theban  temples  and 
heaven-towering  pyramids.    Sultan  Yoosef  (Joseph)  has  the 


A    WONDERFUL  WELL. 


honor  of  originating  the  citadel  abont  the  year  1711.  He  took 
down  the  brick  walls  about  the  city  and  replaced  them  with 
stone.  Seeing  how  easily  the  city  could  be  defended  from  this 
elevated  rock,  he  commenced  the  construction  of  a  fortress 
here.  In  clearing  away  and  grading  the  rock,  he  discovered 
this  wonderful  well.  It  had  been  dug  by  the  ancients,  when, 
none  can  tell,  and  was  filled  with  sand  and  rubbish.  This  well 
is  cut  into  the  solid  rock  to  the  enormous  depth  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  feet,  and  at  the  mouth,  forty-five  feet  wide.  Around 
the  well  is  a  winding  stairway,  cut  also  in  the  rock,  with  a  par- 
tition wall  of  the  rock  left,  two  or  three  feet  thick,  between  it 
and  the  well,  with  occasional  holes  for  windows  to  look  through 
into  the  main  shaft.  Any  one  who  has  been  in  the  interior  of 
Bunker  Hill  monument,  will  at  once  understand  how  this  well 
is  constructed.  The  open  passage  through  the  center  of  that 
structure  corresponding  to  the  well;  the  circular  stairway 
winding  round  it  to  the  descent  here,  cut  in  the  rock,  by  which 
the  bottom  is  reached.  One  of  the  curious  things  of  the  well 
is  the  manner  of  elevating  the  water.  A  large  ox  is  taken 
down  this  winding  stairway  to  near  the  bottom  of  the  well, 
where  oue  of  the  cogwheel  machines  we  have  before  described 
for  raising  water  is  situated.  The  food  is  taken  down  to  him, 
and  he  is  kept  here  year  after  year.  Here,  deep  in  these  lower 
regions,  in  perpetual  darkness  and  solitude,  the  patient  beast 
travels  round  and  round  his  narrow  circuit,  turning  his  screak- 
ing machine^,  and  putting  in  motion  the  long  belt  of  earthen 
jars,  by  means  of  which  the  water  is  elevated  for  the  use  of 
man.  Poor  beast !  I  felt  a  sympathy  for  him  in  his  lonely  soli- 
tude, and  yet  I  could  not  but  think  he  was  spending  his  life  far 
more  usefully  than  many  a  more  intelligent  being  that  enjoyed 
the  cheerful  regions  of  light  and  sunshine  far  above  his  head. 
Turning  from  the  well,  we  will  next  pay  a  visit  to 

THE   MOSQUE   OF   MOHAMMED   A  L  I. 

It  is  a  gorgeous  structure — the  finest  and  most  renowned  in 
modern  Egypt.  Standing  upon  the  hill  of  the  citadel  and  in- 
closed by  its  rampart  of  walls,  it  lifts  its  proud  form  high  above 
all  its  companions.  The  whole  interior,  pillars,  walls  and  arches, 


204 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


is  of  beautiful  alabaster,  brought  from  the  quarries  of  Tel  el 
Armaria.  Again  we  must  lay  off  our  shoes  and  accept  the 
proffered  slippers  of  the  attendants  who  wait  at  the  doors. 

The  interior  shows  a  departure  from  the  ancient  style  of  archi- 
tecture we  have  before  contemplated.  A  western  taste  has  left 
its  stamp  on  its  general  oriental  features.  But  the  beautiful 
material  of  which  it  is  built  renders  it  truly  magnificent.  This 
mosque  is  also  a  burial  place.  It  is  the  tomb  of  Mohammed 
Ali.  He  had  it  built  during  his  life,  chiefly  with  the  design  of 
making  it  a  mausoleum  for  his  ashes  when  his  eventful  career 
of  life  was  over.  A  conspicuous  part  of  the  building  has  been 
set  apart  for  his  tomb;  a  railing  surrounds  it,  gorgeous  decora- 
tions have  been  lavished  upon  it,  and  near  it  lights  are  kept 
continually  burning.  Here,  in  pompous  state,  he  reposes,  and 
dreams  no  more  of  rivals,  of  conquests,  or  of  power. 

THE   DESTRUCTION    OF    THE  MAMALUKES. 

TsTow  come  with  me  to  the  outside  of  the  mosque,  and  look 
about  you.  It  was  just  here,  within  this  inclosure,  upon  this 
very  ground  where  we  are  now  standing,  there  was  enacted,  by 
this  same  Mohammed  Ali,  one  of  the  bloodiest  massacres  that 
stains  the  page  of  history.  Of  the  Mamalukes  and  their  power 
and  influence  in  the  government  of  Egypt,  we  have  before 
spoken.  They  were  a  wily,  treacherous  race,  and  Ali  well  knew 
that  he  was  not  secure  at  the  head  of  the  government,  with 
these  perfidious  Beys  plotting  against  him.  Already  the  keen- 
sighted  and  watchful  Viceroy  had  discovered  a  conspiracy  to 
overthrow  his  government  and  assassinate  his  person.  An  ex- 
pedition into  Arabia,  to  deliver  the  Holy  Land  from  the  Waha- 
bees,  who  had  taken  possession  of  Mecca  and  Medina,  was 
planned. 

The  elevation  of  his  son,  Tossoom  Pasha,  to  the  important 
command  of  this  expedition,  was  made  the  pretext  for  a  cele- 
bration at  the  royal  palace  of  unusual  pomp  and  splendor,  to 
which  all  the  dignitaries  of  the  realm  were  invited,  and  special 
pains  were  taken  to  have  the  Mamalukes  present.  Little  did 
the  Beys,  cautious  and  perfidious  as  they  were,  imagine  the 
part  they  were  to  act  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  day.  Between 


A    BLOODY   MASSACKE.  207 

them  and  their  Yiceroy  it  was  only  a  strife  who  should  be  first 
in  some  act  of  treachery  and  crime  to  annihilate  the  power  of 
the  other.  How  the  sovereign  of  Egypt  managed  to  so  effectu- 
ally allay  their  suspicions,  and  how  it  happened  that  they  were 
so  deceived,  has  been  a  wonder  to  many. 

The  first  of  March,  1811,  was  the  day  fixed  upon  for  the 
great  feast.  The  ceremonies  were  completed — all  had  passed 
pleasantly,  and  the  assured  Mamalukes  mounted  their  horses 
to  retire.  To  their  great  surprise,  they  found  the  gates  shut! 
"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  For  the  first  time  a  dark  suspicion 
of  treachery  flashed  across  their  minds.  "  We  are  prisoners  in 
the  citadel ! "  But  their  apprehensions  had  scarce  time  to  ripen 
into  fear,  when  a  blaze  like  the  lightning's  flash  kindled  about 
them,  and  the  sharp  rattle  of  musketry,  like  the  sudden  burst- 
ing of  a  thunder  clap,  broke  in  deafening  peals  upon  the  still- 
ness of  the  night.  From  above  them  and  around  them,  like 
the  rattling  hail,  fell  the  leaden  balls  of  death.  Flight  was  in 
vain;  valor  availed  nothing  against  an  unseen  and  protected 
foe.  Those  who  attempted  to  fly  were  picked  off  by  the  well- 
directed  aim  of  sharp-shooting  Albanian  gunners.  Of  all  the 
four  hundred  and  forty  of  their  chief  men  who  were  gathered 
here  on  that  fearful  night,  but  one  escaped !  Just  here  where 
we  now  stand  was  a  breach  in  the  wall.  Emin  Bey  leaped  his 
charger  over  that  gap,  and  down  that  fearful  precipice  head- 
long horse  and  rider  went.  It  is  said  a  heap  of  rubbish  at  the 
bottom  broke  the  fall,  and  into  yonder  desert  he  made  his 
escape. 

The  deep-laid  plan  of  Mohammed  Ali  was  not  confined  to 
the  citadel  alone.  The  noise  of  the  massacre  at  the  palace, 
was  the  signal  for  an  uprising  in  the  city  and  country.  A  gen- 
eral order  of  extermination  was  given.  Refuge  was  denied  the 
Mamaluke  race,  under  penalties  of  severe  punishment.  Their 
houses  were  given  up  to  plunder.  It  was  not  until  the  second 
day  that  an  order  was  issued  for  the  cessation  of  this  awful  per- 
secution and  work  of  extermination.  Besides  the  four  hundred 
and  forty  who  perished  in  the  citadel  with  their  chief,  Ibrahim 
Bey,  no  less  than  twelve  hundred  lives  were  sacrificed  in  the 
oity  and  surrounding  country.    It  was  a  treacherous,  cold 


208 


EGYPT  AN  D  SINAI. 


blooded  massacre.  It  was  the  end  of  the  Mamaluke  power  in 
Egypt. 

THE  CHILDREN. 

We  are  lingering  too  long  about  the  citadel.  There  are  other 
sights  and  places  to  occupy  our  time  and  attention.  Cairo  is  a 
busy  place,  and  the  people  have  many  ways  of  making  a  few 
paras,  or,  if  not  in  want,  of  passing  away  the  time.  There  are 
street  musicians,  singing  girls  and  dancing  girls,  serpent  charm- 
ers, jugglers,  farce  players  and  harlequins,  public  recitations, 
romances  and  harangues.  Here  may  be  seen  exhibitions  and 
illustrations  of  all  the  passions  and  affections  of  the  human 
heart.  The  common  articles  of  provision  are  cheap,  the  dress 
of  the  laboring  classes  simple  and  easily  supplied.  But  do  you 
notice  how  few  boys  are  seen  in  the  streets?  Of  the  wealthier 
classes  you  see  very  few,  either  of  the  boys  or  the  girls,  but  the 
boys  receive  much  more  attention  and  care  than  the  girls.  The 
children  even  of  wealthy  parents,  when  they  do  appear  in  pub- 
lic, have  a  most  disgusting  appearance.  Covered' with  ragged, 
dirty  garments,  faces  besmeared  with  dirt,  and  hands  unwashed, 
you  at  once  conclude  these  Egyptians  are  the  most  slatternly 
people  in  the  world.  But  those  more  intimately  acquainted 
with  them  assure  us  that  this  apparent  neglect  of  children 
arises  entirely  from  another  cause.  Eo  people  in  the  world  love 
their  children  more,  or  treat  them  with  greater  lenity  and  kind 
ness,  than  these  Egyptian  mothers.  It  is  said  these  affectionate 
mothers  thus  neglect  the  appearance  of  their  children,  and 
leave  them  unwashed  and  shabbily  clothed,  particularly  when 
they  take  them  out  in  public,  from  "fear  of  the  evil  eye."  They 
esteem  children  the  greatest  of  blessings,  and  for  this  reasoD 
they  are  most  likely  to  be  coveted.  For  this  reason,  it  is  said, 
mothers  confine  their  boys  long  in  the  harems,  and  some,  when 
they  take  them  out,  even  dress  them  up  like  girls,  because  boys 
are  so  much  more  highly  esteemed,  and  consequently  more 
likely  to  be  looked  upon  with  jealous  or  covetous  eyes. 

With  the  poorer  classes,  while  boys  are  kept  in  and  taken 
care  of,  the  girls  are  allowed  to  run  in  the  streets,  and  often  per- 
form the  most  menial  and  filthy  services.    It  is  a  common  oc- 


MEN'S  "WORKING  DRESS. 


A    MENIAL  EMPLOYMENT. 


211 


cupation  among  the  servile  women  to  prepare  manure  for  fuel. 
This  is  done  by  spreading  it  out  into  flat  cakes  about  an  inch 
thick  and  six  or  eight  inches  broad,  and  drying  it  thoroughly 
in  the  sun.  This  constitutes  a  great  share  of  the  fuel  of  Egypt. 
As  you  pass  the  hovels  of  the  poor,  it  is  a  common  thing  to  see 
the  women  seated  in  the  dirt,  with  no  implement  but  their  bare 
hands,  often  with  jewels  in  their  noses,  and  great  gold-washed 
wristlets  upon  their  arms,  kneading  up  like  dough  this  disgust- 
ing compound,  patting  it  out  into  little  cakes  and  spreading 
them  on  the  ground,  or  perhaps  all  over  the  sunny  sides  of  their 
hovels,  that  they  may  sooner  become  thoroughly  dried.  To  aid 
in  this  work,  the  girls  from  eight  to  twelve  years  old  are  sent 
into  the  streets,  and  they  may  be  seen  at  all  hours  of  the  day, 
slipping  around  among  the  camels  and  donkeys,  often  under 
their  very  feet,  scraping  up  the  offal  with  their  bare  hands,  and 
carrying  it  about  in  baskets  upon  their  heads,  from  which  it 
drips  over  their  person,  besmearing  them  with  strange,  party- 
colored  lines  from  head  to  feet.  Menial  and  disgusting  as  this 
employment  may  seem,  many  of  these  street  scavengers  may  be 
seen  at  all  times  of  day  in  the  streets  of  the  city. 

THE  DERWESHEES. 

We  forgot  to  drive  to  one  of  the  Derwesh  mosques  and  wit- 
ness their  strange  performances.  They  are  a  singular  religious 
sect,  known  all  through  the  Mohammedan  lands.  The  most 
of  them  devote  themselves  to  religious  exercises,  and  the  lower 
orders  of  them  subsist  almost  entirely  by  begging.  They  are 
anxious  to  obtain  a  reputation  for  superior  sanctity,  and  many 
of  them  make  pretentions  to  the  performance  of  miracles. 
Some  of  them  obtain  a  livelihood  by  carrying  about  upon  their 
backs  a  goat-skin  of  water,  selling  it  by  the  cup-full  to  thirsty 
citizens,  and  at  religious  festivals.  They  seem  to  be  an  inoffen- 
sive, superstitious  class  of  people.  Their  devotional  exercises 
are  often  of  the  wildest  and  most  extravagant  kind — howling, 
dancing,  whirling,  and  on  extraordinary  fete  occasions,  wind- 
ing live  snakes  about  the  body,  and  tearing  the  flesh  from  them 
with  their  teeth.  Their  most  striking  exercises  are  performed 
in  their  houses  of  worship,  but  they  may  also  be  seen  almost 


212 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


any  day  in  the  streets.  There  is  a  company  of  them  now  under 
the  shade  of  yonder  tree  just  where  we  are  to  pass.  We  will 
pause  and  look  at  them. 

Taking  hold  of  hands  in  a  large  circle  around  a  pole  or  tree, 
they  commence  swinging  their  bodies  backward  and  forward, 
jerking  the  head  and  shaking  the  hands,  keeping  time  to  a  sort 
of  murmuring  exclamation  or  guttural  grunt,  sometimes  pro- 
nouncing the  name  of  Allah,  and  making  various  devout  ex- 
clamations. This  is  sometimes  continued  without  an  intermis- 
sion for  near  half  an  hour,  the  motions  becoming  more  and 
more  rapid.  Sometimes  two  rings  are  formed,  the  inner  facing 
the  outer,  swinging  backward  and  forward  toward  each  other. 
As  the  excitement  increases,  they  toss  their  hair,  foam  at  the 
mouth,  scream,  and  seem  to  give  themselves  up  to  the  wildest 
excesses  of  religious  enthusiasm.  Sometimes  one  will  separate 
himself  from  the  rest,  pause  a  few  moments  as  if  to  balance 
himself  and  collect  his  energies,  and  then  commence  spinning 
round  like  a  top,  stretching  out  his  arms  horizontally,  and 
spreading  out,  by  the  velocity  of  his  motion,  the  bottom  of  his 
loose  dress,  like  a  great  umbrella.  For  twenty  minutes  or  more, 
without  pause  or  rest,  and  constantly  increasing  velocity,  these 
religious  devotees  will  twirl  with  a  rapidity  truly  astonishing, 
sometimes,  it  is  said,  making  fifty  revolutions  in  a  minute.  But 
we  have  seen  enough  of  this  useless  religious  enthusiasm.  It 
would  be  well  if  such  energy  and  devotion  could  be  turned 
into  a  more  useful  channel.  Here  is  our  hotel,  and  our  day's 
excursion  is  ended. 

THE    NILE  VOYAGE. 

February  18th.  My  primary  object  in  visiting  Egypt,  was  to 
make  a  journey  to  Mount  Sinai.  I  had  also  designed  to  ascend 
the  Nile,  if  circumstances  would  permit.  I  found  I  was  too  late 
in  the  season  to  make  the  Nile  voyage,  and  then  have  time  to 
visit  Mount  Sinai  before  the  oppressive  heat  of  summer  came 
on.  To  visit  Upper  Egypt  I  should  have  been  here  six  or  eight 
weeks  earlier,  so  as  to  have  the  journey  completed  by  the  first 
of  March.    The  voyage  up  the  Nile  is  said  to  be  an  easy  one, 


UPPEK  EGYPT. 


213 


and  is  particularly  recommended  for  invalids.  Most  of  the 
ruins  and  places  of  special  interest  are  found  in  close  proximi- 
ty to  the  river,  so  that  the  fatigues  of  land  travel  are  avoided. 
The  Nile  boat  becomes  a  floating  home,  and  can  be  fitted  up 
with  comforts  and  conveniences,  as  the  taste  of  the  traveler  may 
dictate  or  his  purse  allow.  The  voyage  will  require  from  a 
month  and  a  half  to  two  months,  at  an  expense  for  each  person 
of  about  two  hundred  dollars  and  upwards,  according  to  the  man- 
ner of  living  and  the  time  spent  in  stoppages  and  explorations. 
The  expense  for  ladies  is  considerably  more  than  for  gentlemen, 
and  the  cost  of  travel  for  both  has  considerably  increased  with- 
in a  few  years.  Dragomen,  boats  and  supplies  of  all  kinds 
necessary  for  the  voyage,  can  now  be  obtained  in  Cairo.  There 
cannot  be  a  more  delightful  climate  for  a  winter  residence  than 
Egypt.  In  the  shade  it  is  at  no  time  uncomfortably  warm 
during  the  day,  while  the  nights  are  cool  and  invigorating,  and 
the  change  from  night  to  day  not  so  great  as  to  be  uncom- 
fortable. ♦ 

As  I  could  not  visit  Upper  Egypt,  I  contented  myself  in  call- 
ing to  mind  the  noble  piles  of  ruins,  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
antiquarian  revels.  There  are  Thebes,  Karnac  and  Luxor,  tall 
obelisks,  gigantic  statues,  the  time-worn  ruins  of  magnificent 
palaces  and  temples.  Here  they  stand,  enduring  monuments 
of  the  genius  and  enterprise  of  an  extinct  race.  What  should 
we  know  of  that  people  now,  but  for  .the  architectural  monu- 
ments they  have  left  behind  them?  How  much  we  have 
learned  from  the  moldering  ruins  and  crumbling  fragments 
that  are  scattered  over  their  land !  The  tablets  of  their  tombs, 
the  walls  of  their  palaces,  and  even  the  ornaments  that  adorned 
their  structures,  have  become  historic  records  to  teach  us  their 
customs,  laws  and  religion.  And  what  results  we  are  gather- 
ing from  them !  How  many  important  and  perplexing  ques- 
tions in  chronology,  history  and  religion  they  are  settling  for 
us!  How  visibly  the  footsteps  of  the  Almighty  are  seen  here! 
What  legible  traces  his  invisible  hand  has  left  here,  and  how 
strangely,  after  centuries  have  elapsed,  he  has  taught  posterity 
to  read  them !    In  how  many  ways  they  record  their  testimony 


214 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


to  his  directing  Providence,  and  conspire  to  establish  the  truth 
of  his  written  word! 

PREPARATIONS   FOR   A   JOURNEY   TO   MOUNT  SINAI. 

A  journey  to  Mount  Sinai  is  always  a  hard  and  toilsome  one, 
so  much  so  but  few  undertake  it.  All  the  way  you  must  pass 
through  a  waste  and  barren  desert,  often  among  hostile  tribes. 
I  was  gratified  to  find  the  road  was  now  open,  and  the  Arabs 
friendly,  and  I  immediately  set  about  preparing  for  the  jour- 
ney. This  is  quite  different  from  a  voyage,  up  the  Wile.  There 
your  highway  is  a  sea  of  sweet  waters,  from  which  you  may  at 
any  time  slake  your  thirst;  on  your  right  and  on  your  left  are 
the  green  and  flowery  banks  of  one  of  the  most  productive  val- 
leys in  the  world;  while  your  larder  may  at  any  time  be  filled 
with  the  choicest  productions  of  flesh  and  vegetables  from  the 
villages  about  you.  Upon  the  Sinai  route  how  different! 
The  camel  is  your  ship  upon  a  wide  ocean  of  drifting 
sands,  barren  hills  and  craggy,  desolate  mountains.  All 
your  supplies  must  be  taken  with  you — your  water,  your  tent 
for  a  house,  your  beds,  provisions  and  all  requisites  of  every 
kind. 

The  first  step  to  be  taken  is  to  employ  a  dragoman.  These 
are  numerous,  and  follow  your  steps  at  every  turn  around  your 
hotel,  so  long  as  there  is  any  prospect  of  getting  employment. 
They  are  of  various  nationalities,  with  corresponding  costumes. 
But  whatever  tongue  they  speak,  or  whatever  may  be  the  cut 
of  their  garments,  or  the  color  of  their  turbans,  one  thing  they 
all  share  in  common — they  are  liars  and  extortionists,  and  will 
swindle  you  if  they  can.  I  confess  I  visited  these  shores  under 
the  impression  that  they  were  an  abused  and  slandered  class 
of  men,  but  after  having  had  a  few  lessons  of  personal  ex- 
perience, I  will  not  turn  lawyer  to  put  in  a  plea  for  their  integ- 
rity of  character.  One  requisite  will  be  found  a  great  conveni- 
ence— you  not  only  want  a  man  who  can  talk  good  Arabic,  but 
good  English.  Many  of  them  have  only  English  enough  to 
transact  the  ordinary  business  of  the  journey.  If  they  have  a 
good  knowledge  of  English,  it  will  very  much  facilitate  your 


CON TE ACT    WITH    OUR  DRAGOMAN. 


215 


intercourse  among  the  Arabs,  and  aid  you  in  gathering  much 
useful  information  from  them. 

A   BARGAIN  MADE. 

I  soon  found  two  associates  for  the  journey;  a  dragoman  was 
selected,  and  we  met  at  the  office  of  the  American  Consul, 
where  the  following  contract  was  drawn  up,  signed,  witnessed 
and  recorded : 

This  agreement,  made  February  19th,  1861,  between  D.  A.  Randall, 
E.  P.  Baker  and  Algernon  Lempriere  of  the  first  part,  and  Mohammed 
Shrik  of  the  second  part:  Witnesseth, 

1.  That  the  said  Mohammed  Shrik  agrees  to  take  the  said  parties  of 
the  first  part  from  Cairo  to  Mount  Sinai,  and  back  to  Suez — the  camels 
for  transportation  to  leave  Cairo  on  the  21st  of  February,  and  be  at  Suez 
on  the  24th  of  February. 

2.  Mohammed  Shrik  agrees  to  furnish  all  needed  camels  or  dromeda- 
ries, drivers,  a  good  cook,  and  all  assistance  necessary  for  the  parties  of 
the  first  part — a  good  double  tent,  bedsteads,  clean  beds  and  bedding, 
together  with  all  necessary  provisions,  including  meats,  vegetables, 
fruits,  figs,  dates,  oranges,  etc.,  etc.,  all  to  be  of  the  best  quality. 

3.  Mohammed  Shrik  also  agrees  to  furnish  all  needed  protection,  and 
any  escort  that  may  be  necessary  for  the  security  of  the  persons  and 
property  of  the  parties  of  the  first  part,  to  pay  all  the  expenses  of  said 
journey,  to  pay  all  contributions,  fees,  presents,  backsheesh  or  demands 
that  may  be  made  by  any  sheik  or  sheiks  or  Arabs  on  the  route,  to  pay 
all  charges  and  demands  whatever  arising  out  of  said  journey  to  the  con- 
vent of  Mount  Sinai,  and  returning  therefrom. 

4.  It  is  also  agreed  that  the  parties  of  the  first  part  shall  pay  their 
own  railroad  fare  from  Cairo  to  Suez,  and  also  third-class  railroad  fare 
for  the  said  Mohammed  Shrik  from  Cairo  to  Suez,  and  from  Suez  back 
to  Cairo,  on  their  return.  They  also  agree  to  pay  any  present  or  fee  that 
may  be  demanded  by  the  monks  at  the  convent  of  Mount  Sinai,  for  any 
privileges  the  party  may  enjoy  in  visiting  or  stopping  in  said  convent. 

5.  It  is  also  agreed  that  the  parties  shall  proceed  to  Mount  Sinai  by 
the  way  of  Ain  Hawarah,  Wady  Taiyibeh,  Wady  Feiran  and  Wady 
Rahah,  and  return  by  Wady  Es  Sheik  and  Surabit  El  Khadim.  In  sup- 
plies of  provisions,  a  good  and  full  meal  shall  be  furnished  in  the  morn- 
ing, a  cold  lunch  at  noon,  and  a  good  dinner  of  soup,  two  courses  of 
meat,  vegetables,  and  desert  on  encamping  for  the  night.    It  is  also  un- 


210 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


derstood  that  the  parties  of  the  first  part  shall  have  the  privilege  of 
sleeping  in  the  tents  while  stopping  at  Suez  and  Mount  Sinai,  if  they 
prefer  to  do  so. 

6.  Mohammed  Shrik  shall  be  allowed  twenty -three  days  for  the  per- 
formance of  said  journey  from  Cairo  and  back ;  and  all  stops  and  hind- 
rances not  demanded  or  made  by  the  parties  of  the  first  part,  and  all 
damages  or  accidents  to  qamels  or  luggage,  shall  be  at  his  expense.  The 
parties  of  the  first  part  shall  be  allowed  to  remain  two  full  days  at  Mount 
Sinai;  and  Mohammed  Shrik  agrees  to  act  as  interpreter  and  assistant  at 
the  convent,  and  in  ascending  the  mountain  at  Sinai,  without  additional 
compensation. 

t.  The  parties  of  the  first  part  agree  to  pay  Mohammed  Shrik,  for  the 
performance  of  this  contract,  seventy-five  pounds  sterling,  or  twenty-five 
pounds  sterling  each.  Forty-two  and  one-half  pounds  of  the  above 
shall  be  paid  on  the  signing  of  this  contract,  and  the  balance  on  the  re- 
turn of  the  parties  to  Cairo,  the  payments  to  be  made  at  the  office  of  the 
American  Consul  in  Cairo;  and  the  above  amount  of  seventy-five  pounds 
is  all  the  said  Mohammed  Shrik  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  for  the  per- 
formance of  said  contract. 

8.  Any  differences  of  opinion  that  shall  arise  with  regard  to  the  mean- 
ing or  fulfillment  of  this  contract,  shall  be  settled  at  the  office  of  the 
American  Consul  in  Cairo,  and  the  decision  of  said  Consul  shall  be  final 
in  the  matter. 

Dated  at  Cairo,  February  19th,  1861. 

(Signed  by  the  parties  of  the  first  part.) 
(Sealed  by  Mohammed  Shrik.) 
(Witnessed  by  the  Clerk  of  American  Consul, 
and  the  Seal  of  the  office  attached.) 

For  witnessing  and  recording  this  contract,  the  Consul 
charged  us  five  dollars.  This  done,  Mohammed  was  left  to  do 
all  the  rest — procure  the  escort,  tent,  supplies,  and  all  other 
requisites.  It  was  only  necessary  for  us  to  see  that  the  supplies 
were  such  as  we  were  willing  to  accept.  The  first  thing  he 
does  is  to  procure  the  services  of  one  of  the  sheiks  of  the  Ta- 
wara  Arabs,  that  inhabit  the  desert  between  Suez  and  Mount 
Sinai.  Some  of  these  are  generally  watching  around  the  ho- 
tels for  opportunities  of  this  kind,  and  he  was  not  long  in  se- 
curing the  services  of  one.  Without  this  arrangement,  it  is  not 
safe  for  a  traveling  party  to  attempt  to  pass  through  their  ter- 
ritory.   It  is  a  sort  of  tribute  levied  upon  the  traveler  through 


ARRANGEMENTS    TO    VISIT  SINAI. 


217 


their  dominions,  and  also  secures  safety  from  all  molestation  by 
the  tribe.  How  much  he  paid  the  sheik  for  this  escort,  I  was 
never  able  to  ascertain.  This  sheik  had  several  camels  and  one 
or  two  men  with  him,  wljich  our  dragoman  also  hired,  and 
thus  the  sheik  was  enabled  to  make  something  more  out  of  the 
journey. 

LETTER   FROM   THE   GREEK  CONVENT. 

The  convent  at  Mount  Sinai  is  a  branch  of  the  Greek  con- 
vent at  Cairo,  and  no  one  can  gain  admittance  to  the  convent 
at  Sinai  without  a  letter  of  permission  from  the  Patriarch  at 
Cairo.  To  procure  this  letter  from  the  Patriarch,  a  recommend 
from  the  resident  consul  of  the  nation  to  which  you  belong  is 
necessary.  We  went  first  to  the  office  of  the  American  Consul, 
who  furnished  us  a  brief  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Greek 
Patriarch,  for  which  he  charged  us  two  dollars.  "With  this 
letter,  and  our  dragoman  for  guide  and  interpreter,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Greek  convent,  and  after  considerable  delay  and 
ceremony,  obtained  admittance.  While  waiting  for  the  Patri- 
arch, a  servant  brought  in  a  waiter  with  a  dish  of  preserves, 
and  tumblers  of  water  and  arrack.  There  being  only  a  priest 
present,  and  he  an  Italian,  and  we  unable  to  understand  him,  we 
made  several  ridiculous  blunders  before  he  could  make  us  un- 
derstand how  the  preserves  were  to  be  eaten. 

We  were  at  last  relieved  from  our  embarrassment  by  the  en- 
trance of  the  Patriarch.  The  conversation  between  him  and 
our  dragoman  was  carried  on  in  Arabic.  We  could  not  under- 
stand a  word  spoken,  but  we  soon  discovered  there  was  some- 
thing wrong.  The  controversy  waxed  warmer,  there  was  a 
cloud  and  a  scowl  on  the  old  Patriarch's  brow,  and  we  saw  evi- 
dent indications  of  a  gathering  storm.  At  length  our  drago- 
man turned  to  us:  "There  is  a  difficulty  in  getting  our  letter 
on  account  of  the  sheik  I  have  employed.  You  can  go  down 
to  the  gate,  and  the  donkey  boys  will  take  you  to  the  hotel. 
Leave  the  matter  to  me.  It  is  my  business ;  I  will  see  it  set- 
tled." This  was  all  we  could  learn  of  the  matter,  and  we  took 
our  leave. 

We  ascertained  afterward  that  our  sheik  lived  in  the  desert, 
13 


218 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


near  the  convent;  and  in  his  journeys  to  Cairo  had  borrowed 
money  of  the  Patriarch,  under  the  pledge  that  he  would  pay  it 
by  using  his  camels  to  carry  provisions  back  to  the  convent  in 
the  desert.  Now,  having  an  opportunity  to  get  a  cash  job 
from  our  dragoman,  he  had  deserted  the  Patriarch,  and  left  him 
to  get  his  supplies  forwarded  in  some  other  way.  The  exas- 
perated old  dignitary  immediately  sent  out  an  officer,  had  him 
arrested,  and  cast  into  prison.  It  cost  our  dragoman  a  whole 
day's  running  and  pettifogging  to  procure  his  release.  A  satis- 
factory arrangement  was  at  last  made,  and  he  was  set  at  liber- 
ty. The  necessary  letter  was  furnished,  for  which  the  Patriarch 
charged  us  one  dollar  and  twenty -five  cents. 

DEPARTURE    FOR  SUEZ. 

Preliminaries  were  at  last  settled  and  arrangements  com- 
pleted. Sheik,  camels,  drivers,  tents,  water  and  provisions,  left 
for  Suez  Friday,  February  22d,  to  be  at  Suez  on  the  evening 
of  the  third  day.  We  were  to  proceed  thither  by  railroad  at 
our  leisure.  The  construction  of  this  railroad  from  Cairo  to 
Suez,  savp.s  the  traveler  three  days  of  desert  camel  ride.  It 
has  but  recently  been  constructed,  and  now  makes  a  continuous 
line  of  railroad  from  Alexandria  to  Suez,  by  way  of  Cairo. 
Thus  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Hed  Sea  are  now  connected, 
and  the  difficulties  of  the  East  India  passage  greatly  dimin- 
ished. The  traveler  from  Cairo  to  Suez  now  accomplishes  in 
a  few  hours  what  formerly  took  three  days,  through  a  desolate 
and  barren  desert  of  sand. 

A    RIDE     UPON   THIS  ROAD. 

At  the  time  appointed  we  were  on  board  the  cars,  bound  for 
Suez.  The  distance  by  rail  is  eighty-three  miles.  On  this  road 
there  are  three  classes  of  fare — about  two,  five  and  eight  dollars. 
Leaving  the  depot,  and  the  queer  looking,  jabbering  multitude 
that  may  at  any  time  be  seen  congregated  there,  we  plunged 
immediately  into  the  immense,  gloomy  desert.  Cairo,  with  her 
citadel,  minarets  and  beautiful  groves,  seemed  to  glide  away 
behind  us,  and  soon  the  wide  waste  of  sands,  like  a  boundless 
ocean,  completely  shut  us  in.    The  monotony  of  the  desert  is 


A    KIDE    IN    THE  DESEET. 


219 


broken  sometimes  by  gentle  undulations  of  the  surface,  and  oc- 
casionally by  low  ranges  of  hills.  But  every  where  the  same 
awful  sterility  meets  the  eye.  No  human  habitation,  unless  you 
chance  to  meet  the  low,  black  tent  of  some  wandering  Bedawin 
— no  groves,  no  shrubbery,  not  a  tree  to  relieve  the  gloomy  mo- 
notony of  the  scene.  For  the  accommodation  of  the  railroad, 
two  or  three  stations  have  been  established,  and  a  few  hovels 
built,  the  inmates  of  which  are  supplied  with  provisions  and 
water  brought  by  the  cars  from  Cairo.  What  a  contrast  to  the 
green  valley  of  the  Nile,  in  which  we  had  been  making  donkey 
excursions!  Onward  our  iron  horse  dashed,  with  the  strength 
and  endurance  of  a  whole  caravan  of  camels;  defying  the 
scorching  rays  of  the  sun  above,  and  the  burning  solitude  of 
sands  beneath.  At  last  a  stony  ridge  of  high  lands  rose  up 
upon  our  right,  and  a  dark  blue  line  lay  stretched  across  our 
-pathway.  Those  were  the  mountains  of  Attaka,  and  this  was 
our  first  glimpse  of  the  waters  of  the  sea  that  opened  its 
waves  beneath  the  outstretched  rod  of  the  leader  of  Israel. 
And  now  we  began  eagerly  to  recall  to  remembrance  Migdol, 
Baal-Zephon  and  Pihahiroth — the  children  of  Israel  coming  up 
in  multitudes,  led  by  the  mysterious  cloud,  and  encamping  by 
these  waters.  Perhaps  over  this  very  spot,  where  we  now  ride, 
that  wonderful  cloud  floated;  perhaps  on  this  very  spot  it 
rested.  But  while  we  are  absorbed  in  these  remembrances,  we 
have  reached  our  destination.    The  cars  have  stopped.    Here  is 

SUEZ. 

This  spot,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  locality,  seems  des- 
tined as  a  resting  place  for  travelers.  Situated  upon  the  head 
waters  of  the  sea — a  place  for  embarkation  whenever  there  is 
any  traffic  upon  its  waters — the  gate  of  entrance  to  the  great 
Sinai  tic  peninsula,  and  since  the  establishment  of  Mohammed- 
anism, a  rallying  place  for  pilgrims  upon  the  great  caravan 
route  from  Grand  Cairo  to  Mecca.  There  has  been  a  settle- 
ment here  in  some  form  from  time  immemorial.  Modern  Suez, 
a  few  years  ago  a  small,  insignificant  town,  has,  since  the  ter- 
mination of  the  railroad  here,  rapidly  increased  in  size  and  im- 
portance.   It  lies  in  about  30°  of  north  latitude,  and  now  con- 


220 


EGYPT    ANJ  SINAI. 


tains  some  three  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive 
of  the  barreness  and  desolation  that  surrounds  it.  "Washed 
upon  one  side  by  the  waters  of  the  sea,  the  barren  wastes  of 
desert  encircle  it  upon  the  others.  There  is  no  fresh  water 
within  several  miles  of  it,  and  then  a  very  scanty  supply.  Most 
of  the  water  used  by  the  inhabitants,  and  all  used  by  the  en- 
gines, is  brought  from  Cairo  on  the  cars,  and  all  the  provisions 
are  brought  in  from  abroad.  ~No  green  thing  is  seen  in  the  vi- 
cinity, not  a  grass  plat,  not  a  tree  or  a  shrub,  to  relieve  the 
gloomy,  sterile  monotony  of  the  place.  To  the  biblical  student, 
the  chief  interest  arises  from  the  fact  of  its  being  the  supposed 
place  of 

THE   PASSAGE   OF   THE  ISRAELITES. 

It  is  Sunday.  No  Christian  church  opens  its  inviting  doors, 
no  Sabbath  bell  calls  us  to  worship.  Let  us  take  our  Bible  and 
wander  along  the  shore,  and  ascend  yonder  elevation,  and  see 
if  we  can  trace  any  of  the  landmarks  by  which  this  place  can 
be  identified  with  the  wonderful  records  of  scripture.  Just 
here,  near  the  depot,  and  only  a  few  minutes'  walk  from  the 
town,  is  a  high  mound,  said  to  be  a  portion  of  the  remains  of 
the  old  ruined  town  of  Kolzim,  that  formerly  existed  here.  The 
Pasha  is  now  erecting  a  house  upon  it.  "We  can  not  only  as- 
cend the  hill,  but  the  house  also,  which  will  give  us  a  good  ele- 
vation from  which  to  survey  the  surrounding  country.  The 
sea  just  before  us  is  now  only  about  a  mile  broad,  and  quite 
shallow.  Vessels  of  deep  draught  anchor  about  five  miles 
below,  and  a  line  of  shoals  extend  all  along  this  portion  of  the 
sea.  Great  changes  are  supposed  to  have  taken  place  here 
during  the  last  four  thousand  years.  Geologists  tell  us  there 
has  evidently  been  an  elevation  of  this  portion  of  land  about 
the  head  of  the  Eed  Sea,  causing  an  apparent  diminution  of 
the  waters,  so  that  the  sea  is  not  only  much  narrower  than  for- 
merly, but  also  reaches  a  far  less  distance  to  the  northward. 
That  such  physical  changes  do  sometimes  take  place,  is  a  well 
known  fact.  About  the  region  of  Alexandria,  there  has  evident- 
ly been  a  depression  of  the  land,  so  that  portions  of  the  catacombs 
that  were  formerly  dry,  are  now  submerged  in  the  waters  of  the 


EVIDENCES    OF    THE    DELIVERANCE.  221 

Mediterranean.  Again,  the  constantly  drifting  sands  are  en- 
croaching upon  the  sea,  and  in  these  shallow  waters  great 
chauges  may  have  taken  place,  in  some  thousands  of  years, 
from  this  cause  alone.    But  how  does  it  now  correspond  with 

THE   BIBLICAL  NARRATIVE. 

Turn  your  face  in  the  direction  of  the  sea.  ~We  here  stand 
upon  a  peninsula — a  flat  point  of  land  projecting  into  the  sea. 
Upon  our  right,  only  a  mile  or  two  distant,  stretching  like  a 
great  wall  from  the  sea  far  back  into  the  desert,  rises  the  moun- 
tain range  of  Jebel  Attaka.  Upon  our  left,  a  portion  of  the 
sea  comes  winding  around,  presenting  a  barrier  of  waters  upon 
that  side.  Behind  us,  for  near  a  hundred  miles,  stretches  away 
the  great  desert  over  which  we  have  been  riding. 

Suppose  Moses  to  have  come  up  with  the  armies  of  Israel, 
and  encamped  in  this  place — and  the  position  is  certainly  a  fa- 
vorable one — with  these  mountains  upon  his  right,  the  sea 
before  him,  and  hooking  around  inland  upon  his  left,  and  the  < 
advancing  army  of  Pharaoh  coming  up  from  the  desert  in  his 
rear,  how  could  he  escape  but  by  a  miracle?  Pharaoh  said  of 
them:  "They  are  entangled  in  the  land,  the  wilderness  hath 
shut  them  in."  How  accurate  the  description  !  If  an  invading 
army  desired  to  drive  their  enemy  into  a  position  where  they 
could  effectually  cut  off  all  retreat,  what  better  position  could 
they  have  wished  ? 

The  names  found  in  this  locality,  and  that  seem  to  have 
come  down  from  remote  antiquity,  also  unite  their  testimony 
with  other  things  to  mark  this  immediate  vicinity  as  the  place 
of  this  remarkable  passage.  This  range  of  hills  upon  our  right 
is  called  by  the  Arabs  Jebel  Attaka,  which  means  the  Moun- 
tains of  Deliverance.  A  valley  among  these  hills  is  called  Ba- 
deah,  the  Miraculous.  The  range  of  mountains  upon  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  sea  is  called  the  Jebel  Tih,  and  a  valley,  Wacly 
Tih — the  Mountains  of  the  Wanderings,  and  the  Valley  of  the 
Wanderings.  Nearly  opposite  us  is  Ain  Mousa,  the  Fountain 
of  Moses;  and  lower  down  upon  the  shore  of  the  sea  is  Ham- 
man  Pharoun,  the  Baths  of  Pharaoh,  said  to  have  derived  their 
name  from  the  destruction  of  his  hosts.    Thus  these  signin- 


222 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


cant  names  seem  fixed  to  these  places  to  perpetuate  the  remem- 
brance of  the  scripture  narrative;  while  the  Arab  tribes  have 
all  retained  rude  accounts  of  the  events  in  their  traditions.  I 
could  not  but  consider  the  names  attached  to  these  localities, 
and  which  have  been  handed  down  from  remote  antiquity,  as 
the  Handwriting  of  the  Almighty,  for  the  perpetuation  of  the 

knowledge  of  the  wonderful  events  that  have  here  transpired. 
»  / 

HOW   THE   PASSAGE   WAS  EFFECTED. 

We  have  no  disposition  to  disprove  the  miracle,  or  detract 
from  its  greatness  and  wonder.  That  an  astonishing  miracle 
was  wrought,  there  can  be  no  question.  And  yet  the  narrative 
plainly  informs  us  that  God  made  use  of  known  and  common 
agencies  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  The  tide  here  rises  several 
feet.  Though  no  mention  is  made  of  this  in  the  sacred  record, 
it  might  have  been  among  the  means  employed.  The  Lord 
brought  a  wind,  which  drove  the  waters  back,  and  he  held 
them  by  his  powerful  hand  until  he  was  ready  to  return  them 
to  their  accustomed  place.  The  position  of  tbe  waters  and  all 
the  surroundings,  seem  to  conspire  to  fix  the  locality  of  this 
great  deliverance  of  Israel,  and  signal  overthrow  of  their  ene- 
mies, in  this  immediate  locality.  And  now,  standing  upon  this 
eminence,  in  full  view  of  all  that  is  transpiring,  let  us  witness 
the  wonderful  passage. 

All  around  us,  thickly  covering  this  great  plain,  stood  the 
many  thousands  of  Israel.  Now  cast  your  eye  back  upon  yon- 
der desert.  It  is  dark  with  the  pursuing  hosts  of  Egypt. 
There  is  Pharaoh  and  his  men,  his  horsemen,  and  six  hundred 
chariots,  thirsting  for  vengeance  upon  the  escaping  foe.  Con- 
sternation seizes  upon  the  hosts  of  Israel;  they  see  no  way  of 
escape ;  the  stoutest  hearts  begin  to  tremble.  The  clamor  of 
the  multitude  reaches  the  ear  of  Moses.  "Because  there  were 
no  graves  in  Egypt  hast  thou  taken  us  away  to  die  in  the  wil- 
derness." But  Moses,  with  the  experience  of  eighty  years, 
stands  like  a  pillar  of  strength — calm  and  unmoved.  His  les- 
sons at  the  Mount  of  God,  the  wonders  of  the  burning  bush, 
the  revelations  of  Jehovah  in  the  court  of  Noph,  were  not  to 


A    MIKACULOUS    DELIVEKANCE.  223 

be  forgotten  in  this  stern  hour  of  trial.  "Fear  ye  not,  stand 
still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  God." 

Now  that  mysterious  cloud,  the  pavilion  of  the  angel  of  God, 
that  had  gone  before  them,  lifts  heavenward  its  majestic  form, 
passes  over  the  camp,  and  settles  down  between  them  and  their 
pursuers.  Do  you  believe  in  unseen  agencies?  The  angel  of 
God  encampeth  about  them  that  fear  him;  and  the  angel  that 
guides  us  in  peace,  becomes  our  shield  in  the  hour  of  danger. 

It  was  a  great  event,  when  God  in  the  creation  rolled  to- 
gether the  waves  of  the  great  ocean,  elevated  the  land,  and 
heaped  up  the  mountain  barriers,  and  gaveethe  elements  their 
boundaries.  He  who  fixed  those  boundaries,  alone  has  power 
to  change  them.  He  alone  could  bring  the  winds  and  compress 
the  waves,  and  make  for  Israel  a  road  through  the  midst  of 
the  flood.  "  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  that  they  go  for- 
ward." His  Omnipotent  hand  piled  up  the  waters  like  ram- 
parts about  them,  and  gave  them  a  safe  and  triumphant 
passage. 

THE    DESTRUCTION   AND   THE  TRIUMPH. 

The  boasting  warriors  of  Egypt,  in  the  pride  of  human 
strength,  reach  the  sea;  in  vain  confidence  they  attempt  the 
mysterious  highway  of  waters.  They  entered  the  gateway, 
and  the  portals  closed  behind  them.  In  the  morning  watch  the 
Lord  looked  upon  them,  and  there  was  trouble  in  their  ranks. 
The  mighty  waters  came  rolling  back,  and  horse,  rider  and 
chariot  were  entombed  beneath  their  resistless  tide ! 

The  morning  sun  looked  down  upon  the  green  valley  of  the 
Nile ;  his  light  kindled  upon  the  Arabian  hills,  and  glanced 
upon  the  now  tranquil  waters  of  the  sea.  There  stood  the  for- 
lorn and  awe-stricken  remnant  of  that  great  army,  that  in  the 
consciousness  of  strength  and  the  glory  of  human  pride,  had 
marched  out  from  the  populous  cities  of  yonder  plain.  They 
looked  down  upon  that  sea  gleaming  in  the  sunlight — it  was 
the  grave  of  buried  thousands. 

But  hark,  the  triumph  of  Israel!  While  this  desponding 
remnant  of  Pharaoh's  host  looked  out  in  hopeless  despair 
upon  the  sea  of  waters,  that  had  become  the  winding  sheet  and 


224 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


monumental  tomb  of  their  companions,  they  had  but  to  lift 
their  eyes  to  yonder  shore  to  witness  the  glad  exultations  of  a 
redeemed  and  rejoicing  people.  Moses  celebrated  this  great 
and  signal  deliverance  by  a  song  of  triumph,  a  part  of  which 
has  been  translated  as  follows : 

"I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  has  triumphed  gloriously; 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  whelmed  in  the  sea. 
My  praise  and  my  song  is  Jehovah, 
And  he  hath  become  my  salvation. 

*  *  ***** 

With  the  blast  of  thy  nostrils  the  waters  were  heaped  together; 
The  flowing  waters  stood  upright  as  an  heap; 
The  floods  were  congealed  in  the  heart  of  the  sea. 
The  enemy  said,  I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake, 
I  will  divide  the  spoil;  my  soul  shall  he  satisfied; 
I  will  draw  my  sword;  my  hand  shall  destroy  them. 
Thou  didst  blow  with  thy  breath ;  the  sea  covered  them ; 
They  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters. 

Who  is  like  unto  thee  among  the  gods,  O,  Jehovah ! 
Who  is  like  unto  thee,  making  thyself  glorious  in  holiness, 
Fearful  in  praises,  executing  wonders? 

Thou  hast  led  forth  in  thy  mercy  the  people  whom  thou  hast  redeemed; 

Thou  didst  stretch  out  thy  right  hand;  the  earth  swallowed  them; 

Thou  hast  guided  them  in  thy  strength  to  the  habitation  of  thy  holiness." 

Not  the  men  only,  but  the  women  joined  in  the  triumph. 
Then  Miriam,  the  prophetess,  the  sister  of  Aaron,  took  a  tim- 
brel in  her  hand,  and  all  the  women  went  out  after  her,  with 
timbrels  and  dances : 

"  Our  slavery  is  finished,  our  labor  is  done, 
Our  tasks  are  relinquished,  our  march  is  begun ; 
The  arm  of  the  Lord  hath  divided  the  sea; 
Jehovah  has  conquered,  and  Israel  is  free. 

Proud  boaster  of  Egypt !  be  silent  and  mourn.; 
Weep,  daughter  of  Memphis,  thy  banner  is  torn; 
In  the  temple  of  Isis  be  wailing  and  woe, 
For  the  mighty  are  fallen,  and  princes  laid  low." 


FIRST    1IIGHT    IN    THE  DESERT. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

From  Suez  to  Sinai — Appearance  oe  the  Country — Encamp- 
ments of  Israel — Life  in  the  Desert.' 

While  we  were  absorbed  in  the  reflections  with  which  the 
last  chapter  closed,  and  gazing  with  intense  interest  upon  the 
theatre  of  these  wonderful  events,  the  sun  was  slowly  creeping 
down  the  slope  of*  the  Arabian  hills,  and  the  announcement 
was  made:  "The  sheik  and  camels  have  arrived;  the  men  are 
putting  up  the  tents  just  out  of  the  town."  So  to-night  I  am 
to  take  my  first  lesson  in  camp  life,  among  desert  sands,  hunch- 
backed camels  and  Bedawin  Arabs. 

February  2bth.  To  one  all  his  life  accustomed  to  the  com- 
forts and  luxuries  of  civilization,  it  seems,  at  first,  a  strauge 
thing  to  lie  down  to  sleep  in  a  frail  tent,  amid  such  surroundings 
of  desert,  Arabs  and  camels  as  encompassed  us  during  the  last 
night.  The  morning  came,  thanks  to  the  great  Protector  of  all, 
and  found  us  safe.  Our  Egyptian  cook  commenced  in  earnest 
the  mysteries  of  his  vocation,  and  by  the  time  we  were  dressed 
had  a  good  supply  of  smoking  viands  upon  the  table. 

The  first  thing  in  the  process  of  preparation  was  the  loading 
of  the  camels.  What  a  strange  paraphernalia — tents,  beds, 
bedsteads,  meats,  chickens,  water,  oranges,  stools,  cooking  uten- 
sils, fuel,  provender  for  the  camels,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  all  to  be  piled 
and  fitted  on  to  the  backs  of  these  patient  looking  beasts. 

One  of  the  first  things  to  be  done  was  to  apportion  the  lug- 
gage among  the  camels,  and  give  each  his  appropriate  share. 
This  is  not  so  easy  a  thing  to  do.  There  are  generally  several 
owners  of  the  camels,  each  one  anxious  to  get  his  own  beast 
started  with  as  light  a  burden  as  possible.  Such  pulling,  haul- 
ing, wrangling,  chafing,  asperity  of  language  and  vehemence 


228 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


of  gesticulation,  that  never  ends  in  blows  or  blood,  can  be  wit- 
nessed no  where  but  among  these  children  of  Ishmael.  Once 
or  twice  our  dragoman  lost  all  patience,  seized  a  walking  stick 
and  pitched  into  them  like  a  perfect  fury,  laying  about  him 
right  and  left,  actually  cudgeling  them  into  order  and  submis- 
sion. One  poor  driver  received  some  blows  over  the  shoulders, 
the  marks  of  which  I  am  sure  he  must  have  carried  with  him 
clear  to  Mount  Sinai.  To  me  it  was  a  novel  scene,  but  I  soon 
discovered  that  our  dragoman  had  pluck  and  authority  enough 
for  his  position,  and  as  we  had  hired  him  to  attend  to  all  these 
little  matters-,  we  looked  on  with  as  much  unconcern  as  though 
we  were  only  passengers,  especially  as  we  soon  learned  it  was 
their  peculiar  way  of  doing  business. 

CROSSING   THE  SEA. 

At  last  the  wrangling  ceased ;  the  luggage  was  duly  appor- 
tioned, and  each  camel  had  his  assigned  share  of  the  burden. 
Our  camels  now  had  to  make  a  circuit  of  some  ten  or  twelve 
miles  around  the  head  of  the  sea.  We  could  ride  around  with 
them,  or  take  a  boat  and  cross  over  and  meet  them  upon  the 
opposite  side.  We  preferred  paying  twelve  and  a  half  cents 
ferriage,  for  a  half  hour's  ride  across  the  water,  to  a  half  clay's 
ride  upon  camels  in  the  burning  sun. 

We  loitered  about  the  town  until  about  noon,  when  an  Arab 
ferryman  took  us  into  his  boat,  spread  his  old  fashioned  lateen 
sail  to  the  breeze,  and  we  were  gliding  over  the  waters  that  had 
once  parted  their  yielding  waves  for  the  hosts  of  Israel.  We 
found  the  water  quite  shallow  all  the  way.  At  low  tide  the 
bottom  is  laid  bare  near  half  the  distance.  The  deepest  por- 
tion of  the  other  part  of  the  way  might  have  been  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet.  It  was  a  short  distance  above  this  that  Bona- 
parte, during  his  campaign  into  Egypt,  taking  advantage  of 
low  tide,  crossed  over  on  horseback  to  hold  an  interview  with 
the  monks  from  the  convent  at  Sinai,  and  a  delegation  from  the 
Tawarah  Arabs.  As  he  was  returning,  the  tide  came  rolling  in 
upon  him,  so  that  he  could  no  longer  keep  his  seat  in  the  sad- 
dle. A  stout  soldier  seized  him,  and  bore  him  on  his  shoulders 
to  the  opposite  shore  by  holding  on  to  the  tail  of  the  guide's 


CAMEL  HIDING. 


229 


horse.    Had  it  not  been  for  the  aid  thus  rendered,  he  might 
have  shared  the  fate  of  the  Egyptian  prince. 

We  had  not  long  to  wait  before  our  caravan  came  up.  A 
hasty  lunch  from  the  haversack,  and  we  were  ready  for  our  first 
camel  ride  in  the  desert.  Thus  far  we  had  been  greatly  favored 
by  railroad  and  sea,  but  now  the  stern  prose  work  of  the  jour- 
ney must  commence.  Three  camels  are  generally  allowed  for 
each  traveler.  There  being  three  of  us,  nine  camels  were 
deemed  necessary  to  carry  us  and  the  requisite  amount  of  stores 
and  luggage.  The  riding  camels  are  called  dromedaries,  and 
differ  only  in  build  and  the  use  to  which  they  are  applied.  Be- 
tween the  camel  and  the  dromedary,  as  the  terms  are  used  here, 
there  is  about  the  same  difference  as  is  made  in  our  country 
between  the  saddle  horse  and  the  heavy,  stout-built  draft  horse. 
A  dromedary  is  a  light,  fleet-footed  camel.  All  the  camels  I 
saw  here  have  but  one  hump.  Our  dromedaries  were  tall,  lank, 
rough-looking  fellows;  the  saddles  were  large,  heavy,  rude 
pieces  of  manufacture.  The  three  best  riding  beasts  were  ap- 
propriated to  our  use.  Each  camel  carried  a  pair  of  panniers, 
in  which  a  quantity  of  grain  for  his  own  food  in  the  desert  was 
stowed.  Over  these  our  beds  and  bedding  were  piled,  so  as  to 
make  a  soft,  broad,  easy  seat.  At  the  command  of  the  driver, 
the  tall  animal  came  down  upon  his  knees,  and  then  dropped 
upon  his  haunches,  until  he  lay  flat  upon  his  breast-bone,  with 
his  long  legs  folded  in  a  very  peculiar  manner  close  under  him. 
I  was  surprised  to  see  with  what  facility  the  tall  beast  humbled 
himself  for  his  burden.  A  moment  more  and  I  was  fairly 
astride  of  his  back.  He  lifted  himself  first  upon  his  hind  legs, 
throwing  me  violently  forward  and  nearly  pitching  me  over  his 
head.  I  held  on  to  the  saddle  from  behind,  and  he  continued 
to  open  fold  after  fold  of  his  locomotive  organs,  raising  me 
higher  and  higher,  until  I  was  again  surprised  at  the  facility  of 
the  ascent  and  the  giddy  hight  to  which  I  was  suddenly  ele- 
vated. All  was  now  in  readiness,  and  we  wrere  fairly  under  * 
way  for  a  long  ride  over  barren  plains  of  sand  and  among 
bleak  and  desolate  mountains. 

The  motion  of  the  camel  is  a  very  peculiar  one;  he  moves  a 
side  at  a  time,  like  a  pacing  horse.    You  are  thrown  backward 


230 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI 


and  forward  at  every  step  of  the  animal,  with  a  sudden  jerk 
across  the  small  of  the  back,  that  keeps  the  upper  part  of  the 
body  swinging  backward  and  forward  like  a  see-saw.  This  at 
first  is  extremely  unpleasant  and  fatiguing,  giving  to  some  per- 
sons a  sensation  not  unlike  sea-sickness.  But  to  this  the  rider 
soon  becomes  accustomed.  The  speed  of  our  camels  was  from 
two  and  a  half  to  three  miles  an  hour,  always  walking.  The 
trot  of  the  camel,  for  the  comfort  of  the  rider,  is  about  like  that 
of  a  trotting  cow.  We  had,  as  stated,  nine  camels,  dragoman, 
cook,  sheik,  and  three  camel  drivers,  the  sheik  also  acting  in 
the  capacity  of  driver.  The  camel  of  the  cook  carried  a  large 
quantity  of  provisions  and  cooking  apparatus,  with  his  bedding 
stowed  upon  it,  while  upon  the  top  of  all  he  contrived  to  make 
a  comfortable  seat  for  himself.  The  dragoman  rode  in  a  simi- 
lar manner,  while  sheik  and  drivers  uniformly  walked,  two  of 
them  bare-foot — two  of  them,  the  dignified  sheik  included, 
wearing  the  old  fashioned  sandals  of  the  days  of  Abraham. 
We  were  now  fairly  started  upon  our  pilgrimage,  and  boldly 
struck  out  into  the  great  ocean  desert  before  us.  Our  course 
lay  at  first  directly  along  the  track  of  the  great  caravan  route 
to  Mecca.    A  ride  of  two  and  a  half  hours  brought  us  to  the 

WELLS   OF  MOSES. 

These  are  a  cluster  of  springs — a  little  oasis  in  the  midst  of 
the  burning,  arid  desert.  The  Arabs  call  the  place  Ayun 
Mousa,  or  Fountain  of  Moses.  Kb  mention  is  made  of  this 
place  in  the  journey ings  of  Israel,  but  the  Arabs  have  a  tradi- 
tion that  Moses  brought  up  the  water  here  by  striking  the 
ground  with  his  rod. ,  Robinson  speaks  of  a  scanty  vegetation 
existing  here  in  1838,  but  recently  some  gardens  have  been 
planted  here  by  persons  residing  at  Suez,  who  employ  Arab 
servants  to  cultivate  the  ground,  watering  it  from  these  wells. 
There  are  seven  of  the  springs,  but  the  most  of  the  water  is 
brackish,  and  unfit  for  drinking  or  cooking.  Among  the  trees 
we  noticed  the  date-palm,  the  tamarisk,  the  pomegranate  and 
the  apricot.  A  woman  came  out  with  a  few  small  heads  of 
cabbage  and  some  eggs,  proposing  to  sell  them  to  our  drago- 
man.   For  the  eggs  she  asked  a  piaster  for  three,  for  the  cab- 


GARDENS    OF    THE  DESERT. 


231 


bage  fifty  cents  a  head.  Our  camels  Crinked  a  little  of  the 
water,  but  did  not  seem  to  relish  it. 

These  fountains  are  upon  an  elevation  of  ground,  command- 
ing an  extensive  view  of  the  country  around.  As  I  looked  out 
over  the  plain  between  this  and  the  sea,  I  could  not  resist  the 
impression  that  my  eye  was  resting  upon  the  very  ground  that 
witnessed  the  joyful  triumphs  of  Israel  over  their  own  deliver- 
ance, and  the  destruction  of  their  enemies.  What  an  event 
was  that  to  this  long  oppressed  and  persecuted  people.  For 
two  hundred  and  fifteen  years  had  yon  n^sterious  river  heard 
their  groans,  and  the  fertile  fields  of  yonder  valley  drinked  the 
sweat  of  their  toil.  Now  the  time  of  deliverance  had  come, 
and  they  were  on  their  way  to  the  Land  of  Promise. 

Our  visit  to  this  green  spot,  beautiful,  not  in  itself,  but  from 
its  contrast  with  the  desolations  that  surrounded  it,  was  soon 
over.  We  rode  on  about  two  and  a  half  hours,  and  encamped 
for  the  night  upon  the  broad  plain  of  sands  that  stretches 
from  the  sea-coast  away  towards  the  Jebel  et  Tih.  Our  cook 
soon  had  a  good  supper  upon  the  table — for  we  had  a  real  table, 
which  our  dragoman  had  brought  out  for  our  use ;  we  ate  with 
a  relish  labor  only  can  give;  retired  early,  and  slept  soundly 
and  securely. 

SECOND  DAY. 

This  morning  we  were  under  way  soon  after  seven  o'clock. 
We  were  traveling  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  over  an  im- 
mense plain  of  sand.  On  our  right  could  be  seen  the  blue  strip 
of  sea,  reaching  far  up  and  down;  beyond  it,  the  high,  nake»d, 
rocky  mountains  of  the  African  coast.  On  our  left,  the  moun- 
tain range  of  Jebel  et  Tih,  that  shut  in,  like  a  great  giant 
wall,  all  this  portion  of  the  peninsula,  while  far  away  in  the 
distance,  rising  high  above  them  all,  in  sullen  majesty  and 
grandeur,  was  the  imposing  peak  of  Tusset  (cup)  Sudhr,  the 
king  and  crowning  glory  of  the  range.  All  day  our  course  lay 
over  this  monotonous  desert  of  yellow  sand,  with  scarce  a  tree 
or  shrub  or  living  thing  of  green  to  cheer  the  eye.  The  mo- 
notony of  the  scene  was  occasionally  broken  by  the  undula- 
tions of  some  wady  or  shallow  water  course,  dry  as  the  sand 


232 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


that  drifted  around  us,  but  where,  in  rainy  seasons,  the  waters 
find  their  way  to  the  sea.  Sometimes  the  eye  was  relieved  by 
a  bit  of  table-land  that  had  thus  far  withstood  the  action  of 
the  winds  and  rains,  that  have  driven  or  washed  all  around 
them  into  the  bosom  of  the  sea.  Many  of  these  elevations  thus 
left  here,  present  a  very  singular  appearance.  They  were  of 
various  hights  and  shapes,  some  of  them  like  conical  flat- 
topped  pyramids,  some  of  them  like  great  frowning  towers  or 
battlements.  In  many  instances,  the  layers  of  sand  near  the 
surface  being  harder  than  those  beneath,  the  softer  portions 
were  washed  away,  leaving  flat  tufts  or  caps  upon  the  top, 
looking  like  great  giant  tables  in  the  wilderness.  At  6  o'clock 
we  encamped  upon  a  gravelly  soil,  in  the  midst  of  a  succession 
of  mounds  or  hillocks.  These  hills  were  almost  entirely  com- 
posed of  bowlders  and  pebbles,  all  of  them  having  precisely  the 
rough  and  mottled  appearance  of  parboiled  flesh,  most  of  them 
also  having  a  soft  and  greasy  feeling.  To-morrow  we  expect 
to  visit  the  bitter  fountain  of  Marah,  and  are  anxious  to  get  an 
early  start,  that  we  may  make  a  good  day's  ride. 

MARAH,    OR   AIN  HAWARA. 

February  27th.  This  morning,  between  11  and  12  o'clock,  we 
came  to  Ain  Hawara,  the  bitter  well  or  fountain ;  supposed  to 
be  the  Marah  of  the  Exodus.  The  Arabic  name,  Ain  Hawara, 
means  Fountain  of  Destruction.  In  the  narrative  of  the  jour- 
neyings  of  the  Israelites  we  are  informed:  u Moses  brought 
Israel  from  the  Eed  Sea,  and  they  went  out  into  the  wilderness 
of  Shur;  and  they  went  three  days  in  the  wilderness  and  found 
no  water;  and  when  they  came  to  Marah  they  could  not  drink 
of  the  waters  of  Marah,  for  they  were  bitter."  How  does  this 
locality  correspond  with  the  scripture  narrative?  From  the 
fountain  of  Moses  it  is  sixteen  and  a  half  hours'  ride,  or  between 
forty  and  fifty  miles.  We  cannot  suppose  the  great  multitudes 
of  Israel,  with  their  flocks  and  herds  of  little  ones,  would  make 
a  journey  of  over  ten  to  fifteen  miles  a  day.  This  would  have 
brought  them  on  the  third  day  to  this  fountain. 

During  these  marches,  having  found  no  water,  with  what  ea- 
gerness would  they  press  upon  this  fountain,  as  they  approached 


THE    BITTER  FOUNTAIN. 


233 


it,  and  with  what  disappointment  must  they  have  recoiled  from 
it  when  they  found  it  unpalatable,  and  bitter!  bitter!  Again  the 
clamors  of  the  multitude  fell  upon  the  ears  of  Moses :  "  What 
shall  we  drink?"  Moses'  refuge  and  trust  was  only  in  God;  to 
him  he  resorted,  and  on  him  he  called.  The  waters  were  sweet- 
ened by  the  peculiar  virtues  of  a  tree,  which,  by  divine  direction, 
was  cast  into  them. 

PRESENT   APPEARANCE   OP   THE  FOUNTAIN. 

It  is  situated  upon  a  low  mound,  or  round  topped  elevation, 
only  a  few  rods  distant  from  the  direct  road.  The  place  where 
the  water  is  found,  has  a  very  singular  appearance.  A  rocky 
looking  mass,  apparently  a  kind  of  mineral  deposit,  left  by  the 
water  during  the  lapse  of  many  ages,  rises  up  from  the  mound 
like  a  large,  flat  looking  haycock.  In  the  top  of  this  is  a  large, 
uneven  indentation,  or  basin.  On  one  side  the  rock  appears 
to  have  been  split  and  slightly  elevated.  In  this  basin  stands  a 
pool  of  water.  The  fountain  is  only  one  to  two  feet  deep,  and 
five  or  six  in  circumference.  I  should  not  think  there  were  over 
two  or  three  barrels  of  water  in  it.  It  is  green  looking,  brack- 
ish, salt  and  unpleasant,  tasting  something  like  a  weak  solution 
of  glauber  salts.  It  does  not  overflow,  though  on  one  side  of 
the  rocky  deposit  there  is  a  channel,  through  which,  from  ap- 
pearance, the  water  must  formerly  have  run. 

Our  camels  did  not  drink  it ;  though  it  is  said  both  camels 
and  Arabs  will  sometimes  drink  it  when  pressed  with  thirst. 
Robinson  speaks  of  seeing  here,  in  1838,  some  stunted  palm 
trees,  and  many  bushes  of  a  low,  thorny  shrub,  often  found  in 
this  kind  of  soil,  called  ghurkood.  These  thorn  trees  have 
now  entirely  disappeared,  and  all  around  the  fountain  is  a  bar- 
ren plateau  of  sand,  impregnated  with  saline  particles.  A  little 
distance  from  the  spring  is  the  stump  of  a  palm  tree,  now  near- 
ly destroyed,  and  a  little  further  off  a  clump  of  palm  leaves, 
green  and  flourishing.  These,  with  a  few  scattered  desert 
weeds,  comprise  all  the  vegetation  now  to  be  seen  in  the 
place.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  there  was  formerly  much 
more,  both  of  vegetation  and  of  water,  existing  here  than  at 
present.    The  causes  that  have  been  operating  in  other  portions 


234 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


of  the  desert,  of  which  we  shall  speak  hereafter,  have  also  ex- 
erted their  influence  here. 

THE   SWEETENING   OF   THE  WATERS. 

The  greatness  of  the  miracle  wrought  by  Moses  in  making 
these  waters  palatable,  has  been  discussed  by  various  writers. 
Some  have  been  disposed  to  account  for  the  phenomenon  from 
natural  causes  alone;  some  contend  that  there  are  several  veg- 
etable productions  that  have  the  property  of  neutralizing  the 
unpleasant  mineral  properties  of  brackish  waters.  The  Span- 
iards of  Florida,  we  are  told,  sometimes  use  sassafras,  while 
on  the  Coramandel  coast  another  species  of  tree  is  used  by  the 
natives.  But  can  we  infer  from  this  that  any  correctives  of 
that  nature  were  applied  here?  Others,  again,  tell  us  that  the 
berries  of  this  same  species  of  thorny  bush,  the  ghurkood,  that 
former  travelers  found  growing  here,  had  the  rare  property  of 
sweetening  the  waters.  But  admitting  that  these  berries  had 
this  remarkable  quality,  how  could  they  have  been  procured  at 
the  time  the  Israelites  came  to  this  fountain.  The  Israelites 
left  Egypt  at  the  time  of  the  passover,  and  must  have  been  at 
this  place  only  two  or.  three  weeks  later,  and  the  berries  of  this 
shrub  do  not  ripen  till  some  time  in  June.  Besides,  it  is  not 
now  known  that  they  possess  any  such  healing  quality.  Rob- 
inson says  when  here,  he  made  frequent  and  diligent  inquiries 
among  the  Arabs,  whether  they  knew  any  process  for  thus 
sweetening  water,  either  by  means  of  berries,  or  the  bark,  or 
leaves  of  any  plant,  and  was  invariably  answered  in  the  nega- 
tive 

As  I  stood  upon  this  elevation,  by  the  side  of  this  strange 
fountain,  and  looked  out  upon  the  surrounding  country,  my 
imagination  peopled  it  with  the  many  thousands  of  Israel,  now 
fairly  upon  their  march  to  the  heart  of  this  great  desert,  to  en- 
camp before  the  Mount  of  God.  They  had  seen  his  wonders 
in  dividing  the  great  waters;  the  strange  miracle  of  sweeten- 
ing the  bitter  ones.  Here  God  proved  them,  and  here  he  made 
for  them  a  statute  and  an  ordinance.  Here  he  spoke  to  them 
and  said:  "If  thou  wilt  diligently  hearken  to  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  wilt  do  that  which  is  right  in  his  sight,  and 


AN    OASIS    IN    THE  DESERT. 


235 


wilt  give  ear  to  liis  commandments,  and  keep  all  his  statutes,  I 
will  put  none  of  these  diseases  upon  thee  which  I  have  brought 
upon  the  Egyptians,  for  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee." 
They  were  now  put  upon  their  good  behavior,  with  the  promise 
of  blessing  and  protection  for  obedience.  God  had  loosed  their 
bonds;  by  his  power  they  had  been  delivered,  and  now  they 
were  peculiarly  his  people.  We  are  now  to  follow  upon  their 
track,  and  have  other  places  of  their  encampments  to  visit. 
By  reference  to  the  map,  the  different  stations  and  the  general 
course  pursued  can  be  readily  seen.  From  Marah  a  ride  of 
about  two  hours  and  a  half  brought  us  to 

WADY   GHURUNDEL   OR  ELIM. 

This  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  camping  places  of  the  Is- 
raelites mentioned  in  the  Exodus.  "And  they  came  to  Elim, 
where  were  twelve  wells  of  water  and  three  score  and  ten  palm 
trees,  and  they  encamped  there  by  the  waters."  Exodus  xv. 
27.  From  Ain  Hawara  this  would  have  been  for  them  about 
a  half  days'  journey,  and  being  one  of  the  best  camping 
grounds  in  all  this  region,  it  is  not  probable  they  would  have 
passed  it  without  availing  themselves  of  the  luxury  of  its  shady 
trees  and  refreshing  waters.  The  principal  fountains  are  about 
half  an  hour's  ride  down  the  valley  from  where  trie  direct  road 
crosses. 

We  had  taken  a  good  supply  of  drinking  water  from  the 
"sweet"  Nile  at  Cairo,  and  had  no  need  of  replenishing  our 
stock.  We,  however,  made  a  visit  to  these  fountains.  We 
found  no  streams  of  running  water,  such  as  other  travelers 
have  described  as  existing  here.  The  wells,  or  springs  they 
should  rather  be  called,  are  made  by  digging  in  the  dry  chan- 
nel a  hole  from  one  to  two  feet  deep,  and  the  water  filters  in 
through  the  sand  and  gravel.  The  earth  around  seemed  im- 
pregated  with  saline  particles.  The  water,  though  called  sweet, 
had  an  earthy,  brackish  taste,  far  inferior  to  our  Nile  water. 
The  camels  drinked  it  freely. 

There  is  more  vegetation  here  than  we  had  found  in  any 
place  since  leaving  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  But  I  could  not,  as 
many  travelers  do,  go  into  raptures  over  the  beauties  of  these 
14 


236 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


occasional  oases,  that  relieve  the  eheerlessness  of  the  barren 
desert.  In  a  fertile  country,  they  would  be  comparatively  deso- 
late places ;  but  abounding  in  the  midst  of  these  arid  wastes, 
they  are  welcome  and  cheerful  spots.  "While  the  whole 
desert,"  says  one,  "is  almost  absolutely  bare  and  barren,  Wady 
Ghurundel  is  fringed  with  trees  and  shrubs,  forming  a  charm- 
ing oasis.  Here  are  the  stunted  palms,  with  their  hairy  trunks 
and  disheveled  branches.  Here,  too,  are  the  feathery  tamarisks, 
with  gnarled  boughs,  their  leaves  dripping  with  what  the  Arabs 
call  manna.  And  here  is  the  acacia,  with  its  gray  foliage  and 
bright  blossoms,  tangled  by  its  desert  growth  into  a  thicket. 
Pleasant  is  the  acacia  to  the  sight  wearied  by  the  desert  glare, 
but  it  has  a  higher  and  holier  interest  as  the  tree  of  the  *  Burn- 
ing Bush,'  and  the  '  shittimwood'  of  the  Tabernacle." 

The  tamarisk  that  "fringes  the  valley"  is  of  a  sickly  and 
stunted  growth,  and  far  from  being  abundant.  Those  that 
stand  near  the  water  course,  give  evidence  of  the  powerful  cur- 
rents that  wash  through  this  wady  in  times  of  freshet,  the 
lower  branches  being  filled  to  the  hight  of  several  feet  with 
mud,  decayed  leaves,  bits  of  brush  and  the  like,  that  have  been 
left  among  them  as  the  waters  subsided.  Those  that  stand  at 
a  distance  fr$m  the  water-course  are  choked  and  nearly  suffo- 
cated by  the  great  heaps  of  drifting  sands  that  lodge  around 
the  roots,  and  bury  their  trunks  and  lowest  branches  to  the 
depth  of  several  feet.  Many  of  them  are  dead  and  dying  from 
this  cause  alone. 

The  acacia  trees  have  mostly  disappeared,  and  of  those  that 
remain  we  sought  for  one  that  would  afford  us  protection 
during  the  hour  of  our  lunch  from  the  fierce  rays  of  the  noon- 
tide sun.  But  the  vegetation  of  the  most  luxuriant  one  was 
not  sufficient  to  afford  us  any  thing  but  partial  protection. 
The  palm  trees,  that  were  once  the  glory  of  the  place,  are  also 
passing  away.  Scarce  a  vestige  of  them  is  left  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  the  springs.  A  short  distance  above,  just  where 
the  main  route  crosses,  a  few  of  them  are  found,  but  they  have 
been  robbed  and  dwarfed  by  the  same  desolating  causes  of  ne- 
glect and  depradation  on  one  hand,  and  the  hostile  power  of  the 
desert  upon  the  other,  that  seems  destined  to  obliterate  from 


DECAY    OF  VEGETATION. 


237 


these  places  every  green  thing.  I  counted  between  fifteen  and 
twenty  of  these  sickly  trees  scattered  here  and  there  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  fountains — all  that  are  left  as  a  memorial  of  the 
three  score  and  ten  that  flourished  here  in  the  days  of  the  Exo- 
dus. The  trunk  of  one  lay  in  moldering  ruins  upon  the  ground ; 
upon  the  roots  and  young  twigs  of  another,  the  reckless  Arabs 
had  recently  kindled  a  fire,  and  doomed  it  to  destruction. 

BATHS   OF  PHARAOH. 

Having  finished  our  visit  at  Elim,  we  passed  on,  picturing  in 
our  imagination  the  scene  when,  nearly  thirty-five  hundred 
years  ago,  the  Israelites  pitched  their  tents  in  this  valley,  and 
refreshed  themselves  from  these  fountains.  How  different  from 
Marah !  There  they  had  bitter  water  and  a  scanty  supply ;  here 
they  had  sweet  water,  and  a  well  for  every  tribe,  while  the  date 
palm  and  the  acacia  spread  for  them  an  inviting  shade.  As 
we  passed  on,  at  a  distance  upon  our  right,  upon  the  borders  of 
the  sea,  are  the  so  called  Baths  of  Pharaoh. 

It  is  a  warm,  sulphurous  fountain,  springing  from  the  base 
of  the  mountain  cliffs,  that  here  constitute  the  barrier  of  the 
sea.  Between  us  and  them  were  the  tall,  desolate  mountain 
range,  known  in  Arabic  phrase  as  Jebel  Humma?n,  the  Hill  of 
the  Bath.  Where  these  springs  make  their  appearance,  the 
cliffs  rise  almost  perpendicularly  from  the  sea  to  a  mountain  al- 
titude and  sublimity.  The  temperature  of  the  water  is  about 
150°  Fahrenheit.  They  break  out  from  a  lower  chalk  strata, 
nearly  on  a  level  with  the  sea.  The  water  leaves  a  deposit. of 
common  salt  mixed  with  sulphur.  Hot  vapors  also  issue  from 
the  cavernous  crevices  of  the  rocks  in  the  vicinity.  The  Arabs 
have  a  fantastic  tradition  with  regard  to  these  springs.  Ac- 
cording to  this,  they  are  the  bubblings  of  the  last  breath  of 
Pharaoh,  as  he  sunk  into  the  sea,  unknelled,  except  by  the  roar 
of  the  mighty  waters;  uncoffined,  except  by  the  winding  sheet 
of  ocean  foam. 

APPEARANCE    OP   THE  COUNTRY. 

Soon  after  leaving  Elim,  or  Wady  Ghurundel,  the  aspect  of 
the  country  began  to  change.    It  became  first  more  undulating 


238  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

and  then  broken,  soon  assuming  a 'wild,  rough  and  dreary  as 
pect,  rising  into  hills  and  broken  cliffs,  and  sometimes  moun- 
tain peaks.  But  any  thing  was  a  relief  from  the  oppressive 
monotony  of  the  desert  over  which  we  had  been  for  three  clays 
traveling.  I  had  expected  to  find  here  a  desert,  and  a  sterile 
one,  but  I  had  not  expected  to  find  a  region  so  utterly  destitute 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life. 

Here  you  ride  on  hour  after  hour,  and,  indeed,  day  after  day, 
and  all  around  you  is  one  wide-spread  scene  of  desolation — 
plains  of  sand,  barren  hills,  or  naked  mountain  peaks.  A  few 
stubborn-looking,  hardy  plants,  here  and  there,  draw  a  scanty 
sustenance  from  the  penurious  soil,  and  struggle  for  existence 
in  the  midst  of  the  barrenness  that  surrounds  them.  No  grass 
plat,  seldom  a  bush  or  tree  cheers  the  sight.  ~Eo  song  of  bird 
falls  upon  the  ear,  no  groves  spread  their  branches  to  play  with 
the  wandering  breezes  or  gather  from  them  a  tribute  of  music 
as  they  pass.  Occasionally  you  may  hear  the  hoarse  croak  of  a 
raven  by  day,  or  the  mock  laugh  of  some  prowling  hyena  by 
night,  as  they  seek  a  meal  upon  the  carcass  of  some  unfortunate 
camel  that  has  sunk  by  the  way  under  the  weight  of  his  bur- 
den. Your  eyes  ache  with  the  intense  glare  .of  the  sun  re- 
flected from  the  burning  sand;  you  are  oppressed  with  the 
gloomy  monotony,  the  profound  stillness,  the  awful  solitude 
that  seems  every  where  to  shut  you  in.  As  you  contemplate 
the  scene,  you  appreciate  the  kind  Providence  that  in  more  fa- 
vored climes  has  carpeted  the  earth  with  verdure,  and  adorned 
it  with  fertile  vales  and  fruitful  groves.  A  ride  of  a  little  more 
than  two  hours  from  Elim  brought  us  to 

WADY  USEIT. 

Here  again  we  found  a  few  palms,  tamarisks  and  acacia 
trees,  similar  in  character  to  those  we  have  before  described. 
The  ground  here  was  incrusted  with  a  white  accumulation  cf 
salt,  and  the  water  that  stood  in  the  pools  in  the  now  dry  bed 
of  the  stream,  was  so  salt  and  brackish  as  to  be  unfit  for  use. 
From  this  wady  the  road  branches,  and  two  different  routes 
lead  to  Sinai ;  one  by  the  singular  ruins  and  sculptures  of  Su- 
rabit  el  Khadim,  the  other  by  Wady  Mukatteb,  the  "  Written 


MANNER   OF  ENCAMPING. 


239 


Valley;"  our  arrangement  is  to  go  by  the  latter  and  return  by 
the  former.  So  for  the  present  we  keep  the  right  hand  route, 
which  will  lead  us  to  the  sea. 

In  this  valley,  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  day's  ride,  we  pitched 
our  tents  and  made  our  encampment  for  the  night.  It  seemed 
strange  to  be  traveling  like  the  snail,  carrying  ail  our  earthly 
possessions  upon  our  backs,  or  rather  the  backs  of  our  camels. 
There  is  a  kind  of  freedom  about  it  that  gives  one  an  unusual 
independence  of  feeling.  We  began  to  understand  something 
of  the  immunities  of  the  wild  Bedawin,  in  his  free  range  of  the 
desert,  only  that  his  incumbrances  are  far  less  than  ours.  He 
is  entangled  by  few  ties,  troubled  with  but  a  scanty  wardrobe, 
trammeled  with  a  meagre  outfit  for  life,  and  with  but  few  em- 
barrassments, enjoys  the  wide  domain  of  his  desert  home. 

The  reader  may  be  curious  to  know  something  more  of  our 
mode  of  encamping,,  and  of  our  arrangements  for  the  night. 
As  we  had  generally  some  sight-seeing  to  do,  and  excursions  to 
make  from  the  main  route,  and  usually  stopped  an  hour  for  our 
lunch  at  noon,  our  baggage  camels,  with  the  cook  and  two  of 
the  drivers,  kept  directly  on  without  making  any  stop.  In  this 
way  they  usually  gained  a  few  miles  of  us  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  and  stopped  and  erected  the  tents  at  an  hour  or  place 
before  agreed  upon  by  the  dragoman.  We  had  one  tent  large 
enough  for  the  accommodation  of  three.  The  dragoman  and 
cook  had  a  small  tent  in  which  they  slept,  while  our  escort, 
sheik  and  drivers,  took  their  rest  upon  a  blanket  spread  upon 
the  ground  in  the  open  air,  or  crouched  by  the  side  of  a  re- 
cumbent camel.  On  reaching  the  camping  ground,  we  usually 
found  our  tent  ready,  and  our  supper  in  process  of  preparation. 
The  several  classes  that  attend  us  are  very  punctilious  about 
the  division  of  labor.  The  cook  will  never  lift  a  linger  to  do 
any  thing  aside  from  his  legitimate  duties  of  preparing  the 
food  and  taking  care  of  his  household  goods.  The  drivers  will 
do  nothing  but  load  and  take  care  of  their  camels ;  while  the 
dragoman,  as  chief  captain  of  the  whole,  is  expected  only  to 
give  the  word  of  command,  without  touching  his  hand  to  a  sin- 
gle thing.  The  Arabs  seem  strangely  averse  to  any  kind  of 
hard  labor  or  drudgery,  and  they  go  about  it  with  a  reluctance 


240  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

and  tardiness  peculiarly  provoking  to  one  who  has  any  occasion 
for  haste.  It  was  sometimes  amusing  to  see  our  dragoman 
whose  patience  would  occasionally  come  to  an  end,  fly  at  them 
and  lay  his  camel  shillalah  about  their  shoulders  with  a  vigoi 
that  must  have  left  its  sting  behind. 

The  camels,  relieved  of  their  ponderous  burdens,  were  first 
turned  out  for  an  hour  or  two  to  browse,  if  perchance  any  green 
thing  could  be  found.  In  most  of  our  camping  places  there 
were  a  few  wiry,  desert  shrubs  and  weeds,  from  which  they 
could  glean  a  few  mouthfuls.  Before  dark  they  were  brought 
together,  made  to  lie  down,  and  their  legs  hampered,  when  each 
received  from  four  to  six  quarts  of  grain,  generally  a  mixture 
of  corn,  barley  and  peas.  This  they  ate  from  a  bag  tied  over 
the  head,  as  we  sometimes  see  our  draymen  in  the  city  feeding 
their  horses.  This  one  feed  was  frequently  all  the  poor  animals 
received  in  the  whole  twenty-four  hours. 

THE   ARAB  SUPPER. 

This  was  simple  and  easily  prepared.  A  goatskin  bottle  for 
their  water,  a  drinking  cup,  and  a  small  iron  kettle  that  would 
hold  about  five  or  six  quarts,  seemed  to  constitute  their  entire 
outfit.  I  did  not  see  them  have  any  meat  while  I  was  with 
them,  though  they  might  have  procured  it  occasionally  from 
other  Arabs  as  they  journeyed.  They  had  with  them  a  bag 
of  meal,  I  should  think  a  mixture  of  corn  and  barley,  and  a 
few  dried  dates.  This  seemed  to  constitute  the  main  portion 
of  their  living.  In  preparing  their  supper,  they  first  gathered 
a  little  pile  of  dried  roots,  or  withered  desert  shrubs,  or  camel 
dung,  and  kindled  a  small  fire.  Then,  if  the  supper  was  to  be 
pudding,  the  kettle  was  placed  over  the  fire  with  the  requisite 
quantity  of  water,  and  the  meal  stirred  in  and  boiled.  If  bread 
was  required,  the  kettle  was  used  as  a  kneading  trough;  the 
dough  was  flattened  into  a  cake  about  one-half  an  inch  thick, 
and  put  into  the  sand,  ashes  and  embers,  and  baked.  This,  with 
a  few  figs  or  raisins,  constituted  their  meal,  and  two  meals  a  day 
was  all  they  took.  Supper  ended,  they  sat  and  talked  till  9  or 
10  o'clock,  sometimes  having  a  visitor  from  the  tent  of  some 


LIFE    IN    THE  DESEKT. 


241 


wandering  crony.  At  bed  time,  if  the  night  was  not  too  cold, 
they  would  lay  down  upon  a  blanket  near  their  fire.  If  the  night 
was  uncomfortable,  or  a  cold  wind  was  blowing,  they  brought 
the  camels  into  a  sort  of  semicircle,  and  made  them  lie  down  near 
together,  and  then  crouched  down  close  under  thetn,  and  kept 
as  comfortable  as  this  kind  of  shelter  and  the  warmth  of  the 
animals'  bodies  could  make  them.  It  seemed  to  me  like  a 
cheerless,  desolate  life. 

OUR   OWN  PARE. 

For  ourselves,  our  dragoman  had  made  provision  for  an  am- 
ple supply.  The  cook  had  a  good  outfit — a  light  sheet-iron  ap- 
paratus for  cooking,  and  a  supply  of  charcoal  for  fuel.  Our 
tent  was  comfortable,  our  beds  in  good  order,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  fleas  which  seemed  to  constitute  a  regular  part  of 
the  caravan,  traveling  when  we  traveled,  and  camping  when 
we  camped,  we  should  have  had  no  annoyance  that  would  have 
particularly  disturbed  our  repose. 

One  camel  was  specially  set  apart  to  carry  the  water.  Two 
casks,  nearly  as  large  as  barrels,  were  slung  by  means  of  ropes 
like  a  pair  of  panniers  across  his  back.  It  was,  at  first,  a  sturdy 
load,  but  as  it  grew  lighter 'day  by  day,  other  portions  of  the 
luggage  was  assigned  him,  and  piled  upon  the  tops  of  the  bar- 
rels. We  took  water  from  Wady  Ghurundel  for  washing,  and 
again  from  Feiran  for  cooking,  but  we  preferred  our  Nile  water 
for  drinking  to  any  we  found  in  these  wadys ;  and  using  our 
stock  sparingly  for  other  purposes,  we  had  enough  to  last  us 
for  our  common  beverage  till  we  reached  Mount  Sinai.  Our 
dragoman  filled  a  common  leather  bottle  from  the  cask  each 
morning,  hung  it  upon  the  horn  of  his  camel's  saddle,  and  from 
this  we  drinked  during  the  day.  It  seemed  strange  to  be  drink- 
ing water  we  had  carried  upon  the  backs  of  camels  for  more 
than  a  week  and  over  two  hundred  miles.  At  first,  I  thought 
I  could  never  stomach  any  beverage  from  those  dirty  looking 
goatskin  bottles.  But  when  one  finds  himself  in  a  desert  Coun- 
try, parched  with  thirst,  or  faint  with  hunger,  it  is  astonishing 
how  easily  the  citadel  of  his  scruples  as  to  what  he  eats  and 


242 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


drinks  is  demolished;  and  how  he  swallows  with  a  relish  what, 
under  other  circumstances,  he  would  turn  from  with  disgust ! 

OUR  CHICKENS 

"Were  amftng  the  novel  things  of  our  outfit.  Between  thirty 
and  forty  of  them,  in  a  large  wicker  cage,  perched  upon  the 
topmost  part  of  a  tall  camel's  load,  rode  out  the  weary  days 
At  night  they  were  set  upon  the  ground,  and  their  door  thrown 
open,  when  they  sallied  out  in  quest  of  food  and  water,  stroll- 
ing about  the  camp,  stealing  a  few  barley  corns  from  the  cam 
els  and  picking  at  the  cook's  delicacies,  making  themselves  ae 
much  at  home  as  though  they  felt  themselves  to  be  a  part  of 
the  household.  As  the  shades  of  evening  crept  on,  they  would  * 
huddle  again  into  their  little  grated  prison,  and  allow  the  dooi 
to  be  closed  upon  them.  Poor  things!  they  seemed  conscious 
it  was  their  only  home;  they  had  no  where  else  to  go.  The 
dreary  desert  offered  no  inducements  to  desertion.  Happy 
chickens,  I  used  sometimes  to  say,  with  thee,  ignorance  is  bliss 
Daily,  from  some  invisible  cause — perhaps  the  cook  could  have 
explained  it — their  numbers  diminished;  not  one  of  them  ever 
returned  to  the  land  of  civilization. 

I  am  detaining  you  too  long  with  these  particulars  of  life  in 
the  desert.  Few  travelers  think  them  worth  mentioning  at  all, 
and  yet  they  will  be  of  interest  to  many.  Our  supper  is  ready ; 
sit  down  with  us,  and  see  how  you  will  enjoy  a  repast  in  this 
lone  solitude  of  the  desert.  Upon  this  very  ground  Israel 
gathered  manna,  and  here  God  sent  them  quails.  He  spread  a 
table  for  them  in  the  wilderness.  Our  viands  have  not  been 
prepared  by  such  direct  and  miraculous  intervention,  and  yet 
we  are  no  less  indebted  to  his  unsparing  bounty  for  what  we 
now  enjoy.    Let  us  lift  our  hearts  in  gratitude  to  him. 

You  see  we  have  good  bread.  It  is  French  make,  and  was 
brought  from  Cairo.  We  have  enough  of  it  to  last  us  to  Sinai, 
where  we  expect  to  get  a  supply  for  our  return  from  the  monks 
at  the  convent.  First  we  have  soup,  then  a  dish  of  roast  mut- 
ton, with  potatoes  and  cauliflower.  Next  comes  a  course  of 
stewed  chicken,  then  a  desert  of  plumb  pudding,  with  oranges 
and  raisins.    This  is  followed  by  a  good  cup  of  coffee,  with 


THE    SINAITIC  PENINSULA. 


243 


sugar,  and  goat's  or  camel's  milk,  if  the  dragoman  can  get  it; 
if  not,  it  is  good  enough  without.  Now  pipes  if  you  choose — I 
never  smoke;  it  is  a  foolish,  useless  and  often  injurious  prac- 
tice. What  say  you  to  our  bill  of  fare  ?  Many  a  one  amidst  the 
abundance  of  civilization  fares  worse.  And  now  wTe  have  an 
hour  or  two  before  we  retire.  One  of  them  we  may  spend  in 
writing  our  journal  of  the  day ;  during  the  other  let  us  take 

A   VIEW    OF   THE  COUNTRY. 

Turn  to  the  map  on  page  10,  and  which,  for  the  convenience 
of  the  reader,  has  been  reduced  to  a  small  size.  You  will  there 
see  that  of  the  two  gulfs  forming  the  head  of  the  Red  Sea, 
Suez  reaches  much  farther  to  the  northward  than  Akaba. 
Standing  at  Suez  and  casting  the  eye  eastward  towards  the 
head  of  the  gulf  of  Akaba,  you  are  looking  over  an  immense 
extent  of  desert  called  Et  Tih,  "  The  desert  of  the  Wanderings." 
It  is  supposed  to  take  its  name  from  the  wanderings  of  the 
children  of  Israel.  It  is  an  immense  plateau  or  table-land ;  its 
average  elevation  above  the  sea  is  about  fifteen  hundred  feet. 
It  is  made  up  of  vast  rolling  plains,  with  a  hard,  gravelly  soil, 
sometimes  intersected  by  chalky  mounds,  low,  irregular,  lime- 
stone ridges  and  dry  valleys;  the  whole  almost  entirely  desti- 
tute of  vegetation.  The  range  of  mountains  are  at  first  called 
Jebel  Rah  ah,  then  Jebel  et  Tih.  The  course  of  this  range  is  at 
first  south  by  east;  as  it  approaches  the  Sinai  range  it  sweeps 
away  around  to  the  eastward,  and  terminates  in  bold  cliffs  near 
the  head  of  the  gulf  of  Akaba.  Shut  in  by  this  mountain 
range  and  this  plateau  of  desert  upon  the  north,  and  upon  the 
other  sides  by  these  two  great  arms  of  the  sea,  is  the  peninsula 
proper,  and  the  Sinaitic  group  of  mountains.  These  barren 
deserts  of  Arabia  are  not,  as  many  suppose,  immense  extents 
of  drifting  sands.  There  are  occasionally,  in  the  lower  portions, 
sandstone  strata,  with  loose  beds  of  sands  driven  from  place  to 
place  by  the  winds,  but  these  form  the  exception ;  a  great  por- 
tion of  the  surface  of  the  desert,  even  of  its  level  plains,  is  firm, 
dry  and  gravelly. 

Immediately  south  of  the  Raha  and  Jebel  et  Tih  range,  is  a 
narrow  tract  of  sandstone  strata,  abounding  with  loose,  drifting 


244 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


sand.  This  is  called  Debet  er  Ramleh,  the  Plain  of  Sand.  Im- 
mediately south  of  this  begin  the  mountains  of  Tur  or  Tor,  th(* 
true  highlands  of  the  peninsula.  You  will  see  by  our  course,  as 
marked  out  upon  the  map,  we  have  been  following  along  near- 
ly in  the  direction  of  the  sea  coast,  and  are  now  near  Elim.  We 
are  just  entering  among  these  high  mountain  ranges  of  the  Si- 
naitic  region.  Among  its  sublime,  jagged  hights,  and  deep, 
rocky  ravines,  we  shall  soon  be  shut  in,  and  shut  out,  as  it  were, 
from  the  rest  of  the  world.  Here  our  eyes  will  be  greeted  by 
the  sublime  and  cloud-capped  hights  of  Serbal  and  St.  Catha- 
rine; and  here,  too,  we  shall  stand  by  the  Mount  of  God, 
whither  he  brought  his  people,  and  where,  as  in  a  school,  he 
taught  them  his  law,  and  unfolded  the  knowledge  of  his  name. 

February  2&th.  The  morning  dawned  bright  and  beautiful, 
the  sun  looked  out  from  his  cloudless  throne  in  the  heavens, 
and  kissed  these  barren  hills  and  jagged  rocks  as  sweetly  as 
though  they  had  been  the  most  beautiful  spots  on  earth.  Our 
dragoman  called  us  at  5  o'clock;  at  6  o'clock  we  were  seated 
around  our  breakfast  table,  and  by  7  o'clock  every  thing  was 
loaded,  and  the  camp  was  in  motion.  Myself  and  companions 
walked  on  for  an  hour  or  more  ahead  of  our  camels.  The  days 
during  this  season  of  the  year  are  not  oppressively  warm ;  in 
the  middle  of  the  day  we  needed  the  shelter  of  an  umbrella 
The  nights  were  cool,  so  much  so  that  we  needed  our  shawle 
and  overcoats  upon  our  beds,  in  addition  to  the  quilt  furnished 
by  our  dragoman.  As  we  ascend  into  the  mountainous  region 
we  shall  probably  find  the  nights  still  colder.  We  are  now 
traveling  upon  the  main  caravan  route  leading  to  Tor,  in  the 
southern  portion  of  the  peninsula.  Yesterday  we  met  three 
companies  of  camels  and  Arabs  going  to  Suez.  One  of  these 
were  loaded  with  charcoal,  carried  in  large  sacks  hung  across 
the  backs  of  the  camels;  another  company  were  carrying  grind- 
stones, manufactured  somewhere  in  the  interior. 

THE   INHABITANTS    OF    THE  PENINSULA. 

This  country  is  emphatically  the  home  of  the  Bedawin. 
There  are  five  different  tribes  occupying  different  portions  of 
the  peninsula,  but  they  are  all  known  under  the  general  name 


THE    TAWAEA  AEABS. 


245 


of  Tawara,  and  if  occasion  demands,  all  band  together,  and  fight 
under  one  chief.  No  foreigners  can  travel  through  here  except 
under  their  guard  and  guidance.  They  claim  the  whole  region 
south  of  the  Raha  and  Tih  range  of  mountains.  Travelers 
coming  to  Sinai  from  Syria  by  Akaba,  can  come  to  the  convent 
under  the  escort  of  the  more  northern  tribes,  but  such  escorts 
are  allowed  to  come  no  farther  than  the  convent.  There  their 
mission  must  end,  and  when  the  travelers  leave  the  convent  it 
must  be  under  the  escort  of  the  Tawara. 

Their-  number  is  comparatively  small,  the  whole  peninsula 
south  of  the  Tih  mountains  probably  containing  not  more  than 
five  thousand  souls,  perhaps  not  more  than  four  thousand.  The 
general  character  of  the  Bedawin  Arabs  is  well  known.  They 
are  a  strange  race — a  wild,  roving,  lawless  people.  Ishmael 
was  their  father,  and  his  character  was  announced  by  the  angel 
of  God  before  he  was  born  :  "He  will  be  a  wild  man  :  his  hand 
will  be  against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand  against  him." 
Gen.  xvi.  12.  What  was  uttered  then  as  a  prophetic  declara- 
tion, has  been  fulfilled  in  every  one  of  his  children  for  four 
thousand  years. 

The  Tawara  are  said  to  be  inferior  in  wealth,  courage  and 
even  personal  appearance  to  the  Bedawin  of  the  eastern  plains. 
This  may  arise  in  part  from  the  secluded  portion  they  have  so 
long  occupied,  with  less  of  stirring  adventure  to  call  out  their 
peculiar  qualities.  They  are  confined  to  a  limited  extent  of 
country,  possessing  few  springs  and  scanty  pasturage.  A  few 
sheep  or  goats,  a  single  camel,  and  sometimes  a  donkey,  form 
about  the  average  wealth  of  each  tent.  The  sheik  who  can 
number  six  camels  is  deemed  a  Croesus.  Still  they  are  different 
in  many  respects  from  the  other  Bedawin  tribes.  They  are  said 
to  be  obliging,  tractable  and  faithful,  and  what  is  still  more 
rare,  they  are  said  to  be  honest.  All  Bedawin s  are  thieves  by 
profession,  but  among  these  Tawara  tribes,  robberies  are  said 
to  be  unknown.  An  article  of  dress,  a  piece  of  furniture,  or  an 
old  tent  may  be  left  upon  a  rock  for  months  together;  its  owner 
will  find  it  safe  when  he  returns.  A  camel  falls  dead  beneath 
his  load  in  the  open  desert.  His  master  draws  a  circle  round 
it  with  his  stick,  and  sets  off  to  his  tribe,  perhaps  two  or  three 


246 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


day's  journey  distant,  to  seek  another  animal;  and  though 
hundreds  pass  the  spot  in  the  interval,  not  a  hand  is  stretched 
out  to  steal.  The  grain  and  principal  valuables  of  many  of  the 
sheiks  are  stowed  away  in  little  buildings  among  the  moun- 
tains, and  may  not  be  visited  during  a  greater  part  of  the  sea- 
son, yet  they  are  never  violated.  In  confirmation  of  this,  our 
own  sheik  brought  with  him  a  few  bushels  of  grain  from  Cairo; 
I  saw  him  stow  it  away  in  one  of  these  rock-built  deposits  in 
the  mountain  side,  at  some  distance  from  his  family  tents,  and 
though  I  could  see  no  way  of  rendering  it  secure  from  the  law- 
less plunderer,  he  left  it  with  as  little  appearance  of  anxiety  as 
he  would  if  it  had  found  a  deposit  in  the  bottom  of  a  banker's 
vault.  In  this  trait  of  character,  they  seem  closely  allied  to  the 
Indians  of  our  western  forests. 

A   LOOK   AT    OUR  SHEIK. 

He  is  worthy  of  a  moment's  special  attention  as  a  specimen 
of  his  race.  He  is  of  middle  hight,  spare  built,  about  forty-five 
years  of  age,  has  a  keen,  piercing,  black  eye,  walks  as  erect  and 
straight  as  an  American  Indian,  with  a  light,  elastic  step.  His 
dress  is  in  strict  conformity  with  the  costumes  of  the  desert. 
He  wears  a  cotton  shirt,  open  at  the  breast,  and  reaching  to  the 
knees.  It  was  not  "dyed  in  the  wool,"  but  has  contracted  its 
hues  from  long  continued  use.  It  bears  no  marks  of  ever  having 
been  washed,  and  is  fringed  at  the  bottom,  not  by  the  delicate 
fingers  of  art,  but  by  the  wear  and  tear  of  age.  Around  the 
waist  he  wears  a  strap  or  belt,  to  which  is  hung  a  short,  clumsy 
sword,  about  eighteen  inches  long,  kept  in  an  old,  dilapidated 
wooden  scabbard,  bound  at  the  top  and  pointed  at  the  bottorc 
with  bands  of  iron.  Tucked  into  the  belt  is  an  old,  rusty 
horse-pistol,  with  a  flint  lock.  These  are  all  the  arms  he  carries 
and  all,  indeed,  to  be  seen  in  our  company.  As  our  escort,  he 
evidently  has  made  no  calculations  on  fighting  his  way.  Over 
his  shirt,  suspended  from  his  shoulders,  he  wears  a  long,  ragged 
woolen  or  goat's  hair  blanket,  of  alternate  stripes  of  dirty- 
white  and  dingy-black.  .This  he  wears  loosely  or  wraps  tightly 
around  him,  as  the  weather  or  inclination  dictates.  His  head- 
dress is  as  unique  and  ornamental  as  the  other  portions  of  his 


DESERT  COSTUMES. 


247 


costume.  He  does  not  wear  the  turban,  but  what  is  here  called 
the  kafiyeh — an  old  handkerchief,  or  kind  of  long  scarf,  striped 
with  two  or  three  different  colors,  fringed  and  dirty — thrown 
over  his  head,  the  ends  hanging  down  upon  his  shoulders. 
This  is  secured  in  its  place,  and  makes  a  sort  of  bonnet,  by  a 
band  of  camel's  hair  tied  around  the  forehead.  This,  with  an 
old  fashioned  pair  of  sandals,  or  piece  of  camel's  hide  held  on 
to  the  bottom  of  the  feet  by  leather  straps,  like  a  boy's  skates, 
completes  his  toilet. 

Such  is  a  fair  and  unexaggerated  description  of  our  sheik — 
one  among  the  finest  men,  and  best  costumes  of  the  desert.  I 
confess  that  in  the  chambers  of  my  imagination,  I  had  hung 
up  a  very  different  picture  of  the  race.  I  had  associated  them 
in  my  mind  with  all  that  was  noble,  chivalrous  and  daring.  I 
had  expected  to  see  them  on  fierce,  handsome  chargers,  in  rich, 
flowing  costume,  with  long  spears  and  golden-hilted  swords, 
dashing  about  the  desert  in  wild  and  heroic  bands.  Alas! 
"'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view."  How  often 
actual  contact  with  the  scenes  of  life  dissipates  the  beautiful 
imagery  of  our  dreaming  fancies. 

THE   COMMON  DRESS. 

The  usual  dress  worn  in  the  desert  is  inferior  to  that  of  our 
sheik.  One  of  our  drivers  had  only  the  cotton  frock,  bound  at 
the  waist  by  a  string  for  a  belt.  Too  poor  to  own  a  blanket, 
he  carried  a  common  sized  sheep-skin  with  the  wool  on.  To 
the  flesh  side  of  this  he  contrived  to  attach  a  string  in  the  form 
of  a  handle,  through  which  he  could  slip  his  head  and  one  arm, 
wearing  it  as  a  warrior  would  his  shield.  When  the  north 
wind  came  upon  one  side  too  cold  for  comfort,  he  would  slip  it 
around  so  as  to  ward  off  the  breeze.  When  the  sun  climbed 
into  the  heavens  and  poured  down  his  hot  rays  from  the  south, 
he  would  slip  it  to  the  other  side  to  protect  him  from  the  heat. 
I  was  surprised  to  see  with  what  facility  he  used  it,  and  how  in 
all  weathers  he  managed  to  make  it  available  for  his  comfort; 
and  then  it  answered  for  a  bed  at  night. 

Another  one  had  worn  his  old  tunic  until  a  change  had  be- 
come absolutely  necessary.    With  the  greatest  independence 


248  EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 

imaginable,  lie  drew  out  of  one  of  the  camel  sacks  a  bundle  of 
cotton  cloth,  bought,  I  suppose,  in  Cairo,  ripped  it  in  pieces 
to  his  liking,  and  holding  the  main  portion  under,  one  arm, 
followed  on  after  the  camels,  sewing  the  seams  as  he  walked; 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  like  the  snake,  he  shed  hie 
coat  and  made  his  appearance  clothed  in  a  bran  new  costume 
from  head  to  foot.  Such  is  the  facility,  simplicity  and  econo- 
my with  which  these  children  of  the  desert  manage  their  do- 
mestic concerns  and  expenditures. 

SINGULAR   MARRIAGE  CUSTOM. 

The  customs  of  this  singular  people  are  many  of  them  pe- 
culiar. In  marriage  the  preliminary  process  of  courtship  is 
not  called  into  requisition.  The  lady  belongs  to  the  father ;  he 
sets  his  price  upon  her,  regulated  according  to  the  dignity  of 
his  own  position  and  her  beauty.  She  is  to  be  bought,  not 
won.  The  price  is  said  to  range  from  live  to  thirty  dollars. 
The  bargain  completed,  the  bridegroom  receives  a  green  branch 
of  a  tree  or  shrub,  which  he  sticks  in  his  turban,  and  wears  for 
three  days,  to  show  that  he  is  espoused  to  a  virgin.  During  all 
this  time  the  young  lady  may  be  totally  ignorant  of  the  trans- 
action. She  comes  home,  perhaps,  at  evening,  having  been 
out,  like  Rebecca  of  old,  leading  her  father's  flocks.  A  short 
distance  from  the  camp  she  is  met  by  her  "intended,"  accom- 
panied by  a  couple  of  his  young  friends,  who  adroitly  seize  her 
and  carry  her  by  force  to  her  father's  tent.  In  this,  however, 
great  caution  and  expertness  is  necessary,  for  if  the  damsel  at 
all  suspects  their  designs  before  they  get  near  enough  to  seize 
her,  she  fights  like  a  fury,  defending  herself  with  stones,  and 
often  inflicting  severe  wounds,  though  she  may  not  feel  alto- 
gether indifferent  to  her  lover.  This  defense  is  desert  etiquette, 
and  the  more  she  struggles,  bites,  kicks  and  screams,  the  higher 
she  ever  afterwards  stands  in  the  estimation  of  her  com- 
panions. 

At  last  vanquished  and  carried  to  her  tent,  one  of  the  bride- 
groom's friends  throws  a  covering  over  her  head,  and  then  pro- 
nounces the  name  of  her  husband,  of  which,  up  to  that  moment, 


COURTSHIP   I N    THE   DESERT.  249 

she  may  have  been  entirely  ignorant.  She  is  then  arrayed  by 
her  mother  and  female  friends  in- new  costume,  placed  upon 
the  back  of  a  gaily  decked  camel,  and  though  still  struggling 
to  release  herself  from  the  grasp  of  her  husband's  friends,  she 
is  paraded  three  times  around  the  tent.  She  is  then,  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  assembled  encampment,  carried  into  the  tent,  and 
the  ceremony  is  over. 

Arbitrary  as  this  mode  of  disposing  of  a  damsel  may  seem, 
and  abrupt  and  summary  as  the  consummation  of  the  espousals 
may  be,  it  is  not  probable,  after  all,  that  they  are  conducted,  as 
a  general  thing,  without  some  reference  to  the  wishes  and  opin- 
ions of  the  fair  one.  Instances  there  may  be,  as  we  still  find 
even  in  the  midst  of  the  highest  civilization,  where  a  selfish, 
cold-hearted,  calculating  father  would  affiance  a  daughter, 
without  reference  to  her  affections,  to  a  man  she  did  not  and 
could  not  love,  for  the  attainment  of  some  mercenary  end;  but 
such  is  not  often  the  case,  even  in  the  city  or  the  desert.  These 
rude,  swarthy,  uncultivated  sons  of  the  desert,  share  in  all  the 
warm  affections  of  our  common  humanity;  and  fathers  love 
their  children,  and  are  far  from  being  indifferent  to  their  hap- 
piness. 

Besides,  the  lapse  of  four  thousand  years  has  not  changed 
the  habits  this  simple  people  have  inherited  from  the  Abra- 
hamic  age.  The  Arab  maiden  still  leads  forth  her  father's 
sheep,  and  often  comes  in  contact  with  the  young  men  of  the 
tribe;  and  still  taught  by  nature,  her  virgin  modesty,  like  an 
unsullied  vail,  screenes  her,  and  the  breath  of  scandal  is  seldom 
breathed  against  her.  And  yet,  where  Jacob  met  Rebecca, 
ay,  where  in  this  very  desert  Moses  found  his  wife — around 
the  springs  and  wells  the  young  men  do,  by  strange  chance, 
help  the  girls  draw  water  for  their  flocks.  And  who  knows 
what  looks  of  affection  are  exchanged,  and  what  tales  of  love 
are  breathed  into  apparently  listless  ears;  and  what  watchful 
parent's  eye  is  not  quick  to  catch  the  course  in  which  the  cur- 
rent runs?  And  how  often  that  same  young  man  at  these 
piaces  may  have  met  a  welcome  reception  from  that  same  dam- 
sel, who  at  last  was  constrained  by  the  etiquette  of  her  tribe  to 


250  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

resist  by  blows,  kicks  and  screams,  what,  in  her  inmost  heart, 
she  most  devoutly  desired  to  see  consummated. 

WADY  TAIYIBEH. 

While  we  have  been  indulging  in  this  view  of  Bedawin  man- 
ners and  customs,  we  have  passed  the  place  where  the  road 
branches.  The  left  hand  route  leads  to  Sinai  by  the  curious 
ruins  and  sculptures  of  Surabit  el  Khadim;  but  we  intended  to 
return  that  way,  and  shall  see  them  then.  We  have  turned 
into  Wady  Taiyibeh,  and  are  taking  our  course  towards  the 
sea.  In  this  wady  there  is  also  water — now  a  running  stream 
— but  it  is  salt  and  brackish.  Here,  too,  we  find  the  usual  scanty 
vegetation  that  fringes,  with  a  sickly  verdure,  these  water- 
courses— an  occasional  palm-tree,  now  and  then  a  dwarf,  sick- 
ly-looking acacia,  and  the  feathery  tamarisk.  As  we  ride  on, 
the  valley  seems  again  to  narrow  upon  us;  we  pass  between  the 
huge  cliffs  that  rise  up  on  either ^ide,  sometimes  white  and 
chalky,  sometimes  black  and  dismal.  On  we  ride,  wondering 
what  change  will  next  meet  us  in  the  ever  varying  scenery  of 
this  strange  looking  country.  We  are  straining  our  eyes  down 
through  a  long  opening.  What  do  we  see?  Is  it  a  distant  line 
of  sky  and  a  bank  of  fleecy  clouds?  No,  it  is  the  sea — the 
deep  blue  sea — its  white  crested  waves  breaking  upon  its  clean 
pebbly  shore.  What  a  refreshing  sight !  And  now  a  broad, 
sandy  plain  opens  upon  our  right  and  left,  and  stretches  away 
to  the  shell-strown  beach.    It  is  the  place  of  the 

ENCAMPMENT   BY   THE  SEA. 

We  were  struck  by  the  correspondence  of  this  with  the  scrip- 
ture narrative.  "And  they  removed  from  Elim  and  camped 
by  the  lied  Sea."  Numb,  xxxiii.  10.  Thus  far  we  seemed  to 
have  been  following  directly  upon  the  track  pursued  by  the 
children  of  Israel,  in  their  journey  from  the  divided  waters  to- 
wards the  Mount  of  God.  Often  the  thought  would  arise: 
"Is  it  possible  that  these  paths,  along  which  our  camels  are 
now  winding  their  way,  are  the  very  ones  over  which  the 
ransomed  hosts  of  Israel  made  their  way  to  the  Promised 
Land?" 


THE    WILDERNESS   OF   SIN.  251 

After  our  long  desert  ride,  the  sight  of  the  clear,  cool  water 
of  the  sea  was  truly  refreshing.  Soon  we  were  close  upon  its 
sandy  shore.  It  was  a  tempation  not  to  be  resisted.  Four 
days  we  had  been  riding  in  the  heat  and  sand,  with  a  scanty 
allowance  of  water  for  face  and  hands.  A  few  minutes  more, 
and  we  were  enjoying  a  most  refreshing  bath  in  the  inviting 
waters. 

PLAIN    OF    MURKAH   AND    W  AD  Y  SHELLAL. 

/ 

From  the  entrance  of  Wady  Taiyibeh  to  the  place  where  we 
stopped  by  the  sea,  was  a  ride  of  about  two  hours.  Our  bath 
was  over,  and  we  had  spread  a  blanket  upon  the  sand — for  we 
could  find  no  shade  of  tree  or  rock — and  refreshed  ourselves 
with  a  noonday  lunch,  and  again  our  camels  w^ere  lazily  wend- 
ing their  way  over  the  sandy  plain. 

For  nearly  an  hour  we  followed  along  near  the  shore,  then 
passing  round  a  projecting  point  of  rocks  that  drove  us  clear 
into  the  water,  it  being  high  tide,  we  emerged  upon  the  oppo- 
site side.  These  headlands  are  called  Zelima,  and  the  broad, 
level  field  over  which  we  were  now  passing,  is  called  the  Plain 
of  Murkah,  and  over  this  plain  probably  a  portion  of  the  Isra- 
elites spread  themselves  when  encamped  by  the  sea.  It  is  from 
ten  to  fifteen  miles  broad,  and  as  many  deep.  Some  travelers 
have  called  it  beautiful,  but  it  is  only  so  from  its  contrast  with 
the  bleak  hills  and  rocky  mountain  gorges  among  which  we 
had  spent  the  preceding  day.  It  has  a  fountain  of  water,  but 
like  the  rest  of  the  desolate  country  we  had  left  behind  us,  it 
lacked  one  essential  requisite  of  a  beautiful  and  inviting  place 
— it  was  almost  entirely  destitute  of  verdure — no  carpet  of 
green,  no  tree  casting  its  inviting  shade,  only  here  and  there  a 
dwarf,  scrubby  looking  desert  shrub.  This  country  by  the  sea 
shore  is  supposed  to  be  the  Wilderness  of  Sin,  spoken  of  in 
Exodus  xvi.  1,  in  connection  with  which  the  astonishing  mira- 
cle of  the  quails  and  the  manna  is  first  mentioned. 

A  ride  of  two  or  three  hours,  and  we  had  left  the  barren 
plain  behind  us,  and  again  entered  the  mountain  ranges  by  a 
pass  called  Wady  Shellal,  "  The  Valley  of  the  Cataracts."  The 
entrance  to  this  was  both  grand  and  beautiful.  The  lofty  hills 
15 


252 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


reared  their  huge  rocky  forms  and  barren,  craggy  peaks  on 
either  side.  The  narrow  pass  was  level  and  sandy — smooth  as 
a  house  floor.  It  seemed  as  though  it  had  been  graded  and 
smoothed,  and  swept  by  the  hand  of  art.  We  could  hardly  re- 
sist the  impression  that  it  was  the  avenue  to  some  lordly  man- 
sion. Two  or  three  short  turns  in  this  magnificent  thorough- 
fare brought  the  hills  in  circles  around  us,  and  completely  shut 
us  in.  This  beautiful  and  imposing  entrance  to  the  Sinaitic 
range  the  Arabs  dignified  with  the  name  Babel  (gate)  of  Wady 
Shellal. 

As  we  passed  on,  this  beautiful  defile  narrowed  upon  us. 
The  great  hills  seemed  to  shove  themselves  together  at  the 
base.  Dirt,  stone — huge  bowlders — had  fallen  down  from  the 
hights  above  us,  as  if  they  would  block  up  the  passage.  "We 
were  now  rapidly  ascending  from  the  level  of  the  sea.  For  an 
hour  or  more  we  climbed  along  the  rocky  ascent,  and  having 
entered  Wady  Badereh,  we  pitched  our  tents  among  these 
mountain  fortresses.  A  long  day  of  eleven  hours'  hard  toil 
had  wearied  the  body  and  *  invigorated  the  stomach.  Our  fru- 
gal supper  was  soon  dispatched,  and  we  laid  our  weary  limbs 
upon  our  camp  beds  to  rest,  the  mountains  round  about  our 
bulwarks,  the  everlasting  God  our  guardian. 

March  1st.  The  sun  had  clambered  high  above  the  horizon 
before  he  could  look  in  upon  us  from  over  the  mountain  barriers, 
among  which  we  had  enjoyed  a  night  of  quiet  and  refreshing 
sleep.  The  night  was  the  warmest  one  we  had  yet  experienced. 
It  was  the  first  morning  we  had  passed  in  the  desert  so  mild 
that  >re  Could  comfortably  dispense  with  our  overcoats. 

By  7  o'clock  our  camp-fires  were  left  behind,  and  we  were 
again  toiling  along  our  difficult  mountain  pathway.  We  had 
wondered  at  the  rough  paths  and  hard  road  yesterday,  but  we 
found  we  had  more  difficult  ones  before  us  to-day.  We  con- 
tinued our  course  up  Wady  Badereh.  The  mountains  were 
wild  and  of  strange  and  various  colors ;  sometimes  a  dark  green 
base,  and  rising  far  above  it  a  lofty  summit  of  red.  Occasion- 
ally some  mountain  shrub  had  found  a  lodging  place  for  its 
roots  among  the  rocky  crevices,  and  high  up  the  side  of  some 
beetling  cliff  seemed  suspended  in  the  air.    From  other  places 


CLIMBING    AMONG   THE    MOUNTAINS.  253 


the  caper  plant  hung  in  green  festoons  from  the  precipitous 
rocks,  in  strange  contrast  with  the  general  bleakness  and  ste- 
rility of  the  scene. 

We  had  now  to  scale  a  mountain  ascent,  or  rather  staircase, 
called  Nukb  Badereh,  and  the  pass  was  harder  than  the  name, 
which  means  "The  Pass  of  the  Sword's  Point."  Slowly  we 
toiled  along  our  rocky  way,  our  camels,  at  times,  scarcely  able 
to  find  a  place  for  their  feet  in  the  natural,  and  income  places 
artificial,  staircases  of  the  mountain.  Nearly  to  this  point  we 
had  been  passing  a  limestone  formation;  now  we  entered  upon 
a  region  of  sandstone — sandstone  bowlders,  cliffs  and  mountains 
around  us,  beneath  us,  and  often  with  frowning  aspect  hanging 
over  us.  Having  for  sometime  climbed  along  the  mountain  side, 
we  again  found  ourselves  descending,  though  still  in  Wady  Ba- 
dereh. Before  emerging  from  this  mountain  pass,  we  rode  by 
a  wild  mountain  gorge  upon  our  left  called 

WADY   MAGHARA,    "THE    VALLEY   OF   THE  CAVE." 

This  we  had  not  made  arrangements  to  visit,  and  we  give 
our  readers  a  brief  description  of  it  found  in  Murray's  Guide 
Book.  After  speaking  of  its  singular  caverns,  and  more  sin- 
gular sculptures,  he  says:  aThe  antiquarian  will  luxuriate  in 
such  a  spot  as  this,  looking  back  through  the  dim  spectacles 
of  showman-like  sculptures  and  queer  hieroglyphics  into  the 
misty  ages  of  remote  antiquity.  But  far  though  the  antiqua- 
rian may  look  back,  the  geologist  will  as  far  outstrip  him,  for 
he  will  tell  us  of  the  formation,  countless  centuries  back,  of  those 
veins  of  ore  which  the  sculpture-carving  miners  came  here  to 
dig  out  and  carry  oft*  to  Egypt.  The  valley  was  first  visited  by 
Laborde,  who  states  that  the  rock  has  been  worked  for  the 
purpose  of  extracting  the  copper  found  in  the  freestone.  A 
long,  subterraneous  series  of  pillars  formed  in  the  rock,  and 
now  incumbered  by  the  rushing  in  of  the  rains,  and  of  the 
sands  which  have  there  found  refuge,  still  exhibit  traces  of  the 
labors  formerly  prosecuted  in  that  direction.  Lepsius  was  here 
more  recently,  and  found,  high  up  on  the  northern  cliff,  remark- 
able Egyptian  hieroglyphic  inscriptions,  belonging  to  the  earli- 
est monuments  of  the  antiquities  of  that  country." 


254 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


He  found  in  these  rock  sculptures  the  triumphs  of  Pharaoh 
over  the  enemies  of  Egypt,  and  supposes  these  ruins  to  have 
been  worked  at  a  very  early  period,  when,  perhaps,  the  penin- 
sula was  inhabited  by  the  Asiatic,  probably  Semitic  races. 
Among  the  inscriptions,  he  found  the  name  of  Cheops,  who 
built  the  great  pyramid.  I  will  not  attempt  to  give  his  dates, 
by  which  he  concludes  the  mines  were  worked  long  before  the 
days  of  Abraham,  for  subsequent  discoveries  in  reading  the 
hieroglyphics  have  strangely  upset  his  theories  and  his  dates. 
We  have  quoted  the  above  to  show  the  remains  of  antiquity 
that  are  found  in  this  remarkable  valley,  and  the  intercourse 
that  must,  at  some  previous  time,  have  existed  between  these 
mountain  regions  and  Egypt. 

Passing  this  valley,  we  soon  emerged  into  Wady  Mukatteb, 

"THE    WRITTEN  VALLEY." 

This  valley  has  several  peculiarities.  Lofty  granite  peaks 
rise  up  around  you;  but  these  frowning  bights  of  granite  rest 
on  softer  strata  of  freestone  and  sandstone.  The  action  of  the 
elements,  constantly  at  work  during  the  lapse  of  ages,  has  crum- 
bled away  the  foundations,  and  the  over-hanging  masses  have 
given  away  and  tumbled  into  the  valley  below.  In  some  places  I 
these  huge  bowlders  are  of  enormous  size.  In  many  instances, 
as  they  have  been  torn  away  from  their  native  resting  places, 
the  clefts  have  been  so  regular  and  precipitous  that  you  ride 
along  the  side  of  smooth  perpendicular  walls  rising  far  above 
your  head,  while  at  some  distance  back  of  them  the  tall,  giant 
cliffs  lift  their  huge  forms.  These  sandstone  tablets  are  in- 
vested with  a  deep  interest,  for  here  for  the  first  time  we  found 
ourselves  gazing  upon  those  mysterious  characters  that  have  so 
long  excited  the  wonder  of  the  traveler. 


INSCRIPTIONS    UPON    THE  ROCKS. 


255 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Sinaitic  Inscriptions — Features  op  the  Country — Manna — 
Hyssop  and  other  Plants — Approach  to  Sinai. 

We  are  now  in  the  Written  Valley — in  the  midst  of  those 
strange  and  mysterious  inscriptions  that  have  been  the  puzzle 
and  the  wonder  of  the  ignorant  and  the  learned.  Among  the 
first  of  these  inscriptions  I  met,  I  copied,  as  accurately  as  I  could 
with  a  pencil,  two  or  three  lines  of  the  letters  and  a  few  of  the 
strange  looking  sketches.  A  view  of  these  is  here  given,  and 
they  may  be  relied  upon  as  correct : 


Specimens  of  the  Inscriptions  from  the  Sinaitic  Rocks.  Copied  March,  1861.  The  letter,  sa 
found  upon  the  rocks,  are  from  five  to  eight  inches  long.  The  sketches  of  animals  vary  very 
much  in  size,  some  much  more  rude  than  others. 


256 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


The  interest  these  inscriptions  have  excited,  the  numerous 
conjectures  and  learned  disquisitions  to  which  they  have  given 
rise,  and  the  mystery  in  which  they  are  still  shrouded,  led  me 
to  look  upon  them  with  great  earnestness  and  attention. 
Scholars  of  different  nations  have  examined  them,  and  they 
have  given  rise  to  various  conflicting  opinions.  The  curiosity 
excited  in  my  own  mind  in  being  permitted  to  examine  them, 
has  led  me  to  look  through  several  authors,  and  collate  their 
different  views  and  opinions,  the  result  of  which,  in  connection 
with  my  own  observations,  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader. 
The  questions  that  arise  are :  When  were  these  inscriptions 
made?    By  whom  were  they  made?  and  for  what  purpose? 

First,  let  us  clear  the  subject  of  .  all  exaggerations  and  over 
drawn  statements.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  there  is  a  disposi- 
tion on  the  part  of  many  journalizers  to  use  figures  of  speech, 
and  indulge  in  flights  of  fancy,  in  describing  the  most  common 
incidents  and  the  most  stubborn  matters  of  fact.  Tall  things 
become  cloud-capped ;  large  things,  enormous ;  and  many,  an  in- 
numerable multitude.  This  will  do  in  some  instances,  but 
when  we  want  the  plain  facts,  we  are  often  under  the  necessity 
of  stripping  away  many  superfluities. 

These  inscriptions  are  far  from  being  as  numerous  as  I  had 
expected  to  find  them.  From  some  accounts  I  had  read,  I  sup- 
posed I  should  find  whole  mountain  sides,  for  miles,  covered 
with  them  like  the  pages  of  a  book.  In  this  valley  it  is  al- 
lowed they  are  more  numerous  than  in  any  other  place.  Stan- 
ley's observation  completely  coincides  with  my  own.  "The 
"Wady  Mukatteb  is  a  large  open  valley,  almost  a  plain,  with  no 
continuous  wall  or  rock  on  either  side,  but  masses  of  rock  re- 
ceding and  advancing.  It  is  chiefly  on  these  advancing  masses 
that  the  inscriptions  straggle,  not  by  thousands,  but  at  most  by 
hundreds  or  fifties.  They  are  much  less  numerous  than  the 
names  of  western  travelers  on  the  monuments  in  the  valley  of 
the  Kile,  since  the  beginning  of  this  century." 

THE    AMOUNT    OP    WORK   EXPENDED    ON  THEM. 

Some  writers  have  described  them  as  occupying  every  con- 
ceivable situation — on  the  loose  fragments  that  strew  the  valley, 


THE    SIN  A  I  TIC  IN3CKIPTI0NS. 


257 


as  well  as  on  the  rocks  of  the  sides,  and  on  lofty  cliffs  utterly  in- 
accessible except  by  ladders  and  ropes;  and  Burckhardt  says  he 
saw  many  on  the  granite  peak  of  Serbal.  The  loftiest  ones  I 
saw  were  two  or  three  feet  higher  than  my  head  as  I  sat  on  my 
camel,  or  about  as  high  as  a  man  could  reach  standing  upon  a 
camel's  back.  There  may,  of  course,  be  higher  ones,  but  they 
cannot  be  many.  I  did  not  ascend  Mount  Serbal,  but  Stanley 
says,  that  though  he  searched  for  them  he  only  found  three  on 
the  top  of  that  mountain;  and  that  none  that  he  saw,  unless  it 
might  be  a  very  doubtful  one  at  Petra,  required  ladders  or  ma- 
chinery of  any  kind.  "I  think,"  he  says,  "there  are  none  that 
could  not  have  been  written  by  one  man  climbing  upon  anoth- 
er's shoulders."  And  then  we  very  well  know,  in  some  places  in 
our  own  country,  where  travelers  have  inscribed  their  names, 
there  has  often  been  a  sort  of  strife  to  overreach  each  other. 
And  who  knows  but  some  one  here,  like  the  ambitious  youth 
at  the  Natural  Bridge,  may  have  imperiled  his  life  in  his  ambi- 
tion to  overreach  the  rest?  Certain  it  is,  that  some  of  the 
highest  names  in  this' valley  are  Greek,  probably  placed  there 
by  Greek  pilgrims  long  subsequent  to  those  we  are  contem- 
plating. 

Again,  tbe  labor  of  cutting  them  has  been  represented  as 
enormous.  A  recent  writer  in  an  English  Review,  in  alluding 
to  this,  says :  "  They  must  have  been  done  by  a  people  possess- 
ing implements  of  various  kinds,  implements  which  no  pil- 
grims ever  think  of  carrying  with  them.  They  must  have  had 
graving  tools  of  strength,  and  in  considerable  numbers.  The 
difficulty  of  working  on  the  face  of  the  rocks  under  a  scorching 
sun,  is  so  great  that  it  could  only  be  overcome  by  men  who, 
living  in  the  desert,  could  avail  themselves  of  all  opportunities, 
and  take  things  leisurely,  or  else  who  were  shadowed  from  the 
heat  in  some  mysterious  way.  What  must  have  been  the  toil 
of  executing  them,  when  we  consider  not  only  their  amazing 
numbers,  but  that  many  of  them  are  cut  in  the  hard  granite?" 

The  writer  of  this  quotation  had  probably  never  been  upon 
the  ground,  but  gathered  his  knowledge  from  some  bombastic 
writer.  I  saw  none  of  these  inscriptions  that  appeared  to  have 
been  cut  with  an  engraver's  tool,  or  on  which  any  great  amount 


258 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


of  labor  had  been  bestowed.  They  are  simply  scratched  upon 
the  surface  of  the  rock,  as  if  with  some  hard,  sharp  instrument, 
the  indentations  being  very  slight.  I  did  not  try  my  own  hand 
at  the  work;  but  here,  again,  Stanley  tells  us  that  one  of  his 
company  scooped  out  a  horse  in  ten  minutes,  more  complete 
than  any  sculptured  animal  he  saw.  Those  upon  the  granite 
are  lightly  scratched;  those  upon  the  sandstone  are  deeper,  yet 
still  but  slightly  indented.  But  it  may  be  asked:  "If  they 
are  so  slightly  imprinted,  why  have  they  not  long  since  been 
defaced,  or  completely  worn  away  ? "  This  is  owing  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  climate — a  dry  atmosphere,  and  few  winds  and 
storms.  Some  more  modern  inscriptions,  known  by  their  date 
to  be  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  years  old,  are  now 
apparently  as  fresh  as  when  cut. 

WHERE  FOUND   AND   THEIR  PECULIARITIES. 

They  are  mostly  found  in  those  thoroughfares  that  lead  from 
Egypt  to  Mount  Sinai — fewer  of  them  on  the  route  from 
Mount  Sinai  to  Jerusalem  by  way  of  Petra.  They  extend  in 
different  places  quite  to  Mount  Sinai.  They  are  found  in  the 
lower  road  between  Mount  Serbal  and  Sinai,  and  many  of  them 
can  be  seen  in  the  ravine  leading  to  Mount  St.  Catharine.  In- 
deed, they  seem  to  be  widely  scattered  over  a  large  portion  of 
the  peninsula,  but  more  in  this  valley  than  in  any  other  place. 
East  of  Sinai  it  is  said  none  have  been  found.  They  seem  to 
be  most  numerous  in  those  places  where  travelers  would  natur- 
ally stop  for  rest  and  refreshment.  The  most  that  occur  on 
the  northern  route  from  Sinai  are  said  to  be  in  Wady  Araba, 
the  supposed  route  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

Their  characters  are  generally  much  the  same,  indicating  that 
they  were  executed  by  the  same  class  of  people.  Most  of  them 
appear  to  be  of  the  same  language.  The  inscriptions  are  gen- 
erally short,  as  if  they  contained  only  a  name.  Those  I  have 
copied  are  about  as  long  as  any  I  saw.  The  letters  are  unlike 
those  of  any  known  language.  They  are  now  intermingled 
with  crosses,  sometimes  f,  and  sometimes  + ;  but  these,  as  the 
position  of  some  of  them  indicates,  may  have  been  subsequent- 
ly added.    Some  Greek  inscriptions  are  intermingled  with 


THE    SINAITIC  INSCRIPTIONS. 


259 


them,  but  evidently  subsequently  formed,  as  they  are,  in  some 
instances,  traced  directly  over  the  others.  The  size  of  the 
letters  vary  much.  Those  from  which  I  copied  were  from  five 
to  eight  inches  long.  Some,  it  is  said,  have  been  found  where 
the  letters  were  from  five  to  six  feet  long,  and  the  figures  of 
enormous  size,  requiring  in  their  formation  much  labor. 

The  drawings  of  animals  that  accompany  them,  are  certain- 
ly as  inexplicable  as  the  letters  themselves.  There  are  dogs, 
horses,  camels,  bugs,  and  other  representations  of  various  kinds. 
They  are  generally  so  rudely  drawn,  as  may  be  seen  by  refer- 
ence to  our  copies,  as  to  convey  the  impression  that  they  must 
have  been  done  by  boys,  in  jocund  sport.  Most  of  them  are 
mere  caricatures.  The  ibex  frequently  occurs,  with  most  ludi- 
crous length  of  horns.  So  fantastic  and  comical  are  many  of 
these  figures,  as  to  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  no  very  serious 
intentions  were  entertained  by  those  who  drew  them.  Others, 
again,  appear  to  be  better  formed  and  of  a  graver  character. 

ATTENTION   BESTOWED    UPON   THESE  INSCRIPTIONS. 

The  first  one  from  whom  we  have  any  record  of  them,  was 
Cosmas,  an  Alexandrian  merchant,  and  who,  from  a  voyage  he 
made  to  India,  was  called  Indicopleustes.  As  early  as  D. 
535,  he  traversed  on  foot  the  Sinaitic  peninsula,  He  makes 
particular  mention  of  these  inscriptions,  and  tells  us  that  some 
Jews  who  were  with  him  informed  him  that  they  were  made 
by  their  ancestors  when  on  their  way  with  Moses  through  the 
desert.  From  this  time  on,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  we  hear 
no  more  of  them.  From  the  sixth  to  the  sixteenth  century 
no  one  mentions  them. 

About  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  a  Paris  physician, 
by  the  name  of  Peter  Belon,  visited  Arabia.  He  published  an 
account  of  his  travels  in  1554,  in  French,  in  which  he  speaks 
of  these  inscriptions.  In  1632,  Athanasius  Kirch er,  a  German 
antiquary,  published  a  work  at  Home,  in  which  he  makes  spe- 
cial mention  of  these  desert  tablets.  In  1665,  Balthaser  Mon- 
conys,  another  French  traveler,  published  some  remarks  on 
these  writings. 

Nearly  another  hundred  years  passed  away,  when  the  Pre- 


260 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


fetto  of  the  Franciscans  at  Cairo  made  a  journey  to  Sinai,  in 
company  of  some  missionaries  of  the  Propaganda.  He  gives  an 
account  of  his  visit  to  this  "  Written  Valley,"  and  gives  some 
description  of  the  writings,  but  could  give  no  interpretation  of 
them.  He  says  there  were  with  him  persons  of  the  Arabic, 
Greek,  Hebrew,  Syriac,  Coptic,  Latin,  Armenian,  Turkish,  En- 
glish, Illyrican,  German  and  Bohemian  languages,  yet  none  ot 
them  had  any  knowledge  of  these  characters.  He  thinks  they 
were  engraven  by  the  Chaldeans,  or  some  other  persons,  long 
before  the  coming  of  Christ. 

Then  came  Pocoke's  visit  in  1737.  He  says  but  little  of  the 
inscriptions,  but  gives  his  readers  two  large  plates  of  specimens 
which  he  copied.  Not  long  after  this,  Charles  Thompson  vis- 
ited the  place,  and  speaks  of  the  inscriptions  as  being  void  of 
beauty  and  unintelligible,  not  worth  the  pains  of  copying. 

Robert  Clayton,  Bishop  of  Cloger,  in  1753,  translated  into 
English  and  published  the  Journal  of  the  Franciscan  of  Cairo 
before  mentioned.  This  work  served  to  arouse  more  attention 
to  the  subject  than  had  ever  before  been  manifested.  The 
Bishop  was  full  of  enthusiasm  upon  the  subject,  and  in  his  zeal 
and  liberality,  made  an  offer  of  live  hundred  pounds  sterling  to 
any  one  who  would  visit  the  desert  and  bring  back  copies  of 
the  inscriptions.  He  thinks  the  characters  an  ancient  form  of 
Hebrew,  left  there  by  the  Israelites  at  the  time  of  giving  the 
law.  Others  have  entertaiued  this  theory.  When  I  was  in  Je- 
rusalem, I  showed  my  copies  of  these  inscriptions  to  old  Dr. 
Levishon,  who  has  bestowed  much  attention  upon  the  ancient 
Hebrew.  ,He  believes  some  very  ancient  copies  of  the  Samari- 
tan Pentateuch,  of  which  I  shall  speak  in  my  visit  to  Jerusa- 
lem, found  among  the  Samaritans,  to  be  written  ii%  the  same 
character  used  by  Moses;  but  in  comparing  the  two,  he  could 
trace  no  resemblance  to  warrant  an  opinion  they  ever  belonged 
to  the  same  language.  But  this  would  not  prove  the  Hebrews 
did  not  write  them ;  they  might  have  written  in  some  other  dia- 
lect, brought  with  them  from  Egypt. 

Soon  after  this,  in  1776,  an  article  appeared  in  the  "  Philo- 
sophical Transactions,"  from  Edward  Wortly  Montague,  giving 
an  account  of  his  journey  from  Cairo  to  the  "Written  Moun- 


THE    SINAITIC  INSCEIPTIONS. 


261 


tains."  Finding  Greek  characters  among  the  writings,  he  as- 
cribes the  whole  to  Greek  pilgrims  from  Constantinople  or  the 
Morea. 

The  King  of  Denmark  became  interested  in  these  matters, 
and  in  1761,  sent  Kiebuhr  on  a  tour  of  exploration  to  Egypt 
and  Arabia.  He  examined  the  inscriptions,  but  did  not  seem 
to  attach  much  importance  to  them.  He  thought  they  must 
have  been  executed  by  travelers  during  their  resting  or  idle 
hours.  He  states,  however,  that  these  inscriptions  had  been 
mentioned  by  a  Greek  author  as  early  as  the  third  century.  • 

Yolney  visited  the  Written  Yalley  and  published  his  travels 
in  1784.  He  treats  the  inscriptions  with  great  lightness,  and 
ridicules  the  clumsy  attempts  made  to  imitate  figures  of  animals. 

After  this,  travel  greatly  increased.  Many  looked  upon  these 
strange  tablets  with  amazement,  only  to  be  perplexed  with  the 
mystery  that  enshrouded  them.  But  while  none  could  read, 
many  sat  about  the  work  of  copying  them;  conspicuous  among 
whom  was  Mr.  Gray,  who  not  only  copied  but  published  one 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  of  these  inscriptions.  "With  these 
allusions  to  the  attention  they  have  attracted,  we  must  still  come 
back  to  the  question  of 

THEIR  ORIGIN. 

By  whom  were  these  drawings  made?  .When?  For  what 
purpose?  These  are  the  perplexing  questions  that  the  inquisi- 
tive have  long  been  trying  to  settle.  That  they  are  very  an- 
cient, is  certain  from  the  fact  that  all  knowledge  of  the  alphabet 
and  language  in  which  they  were  written  has  been  lost.  What 
people  have  found  a  home  in  this  desert?  When  Moses  left 
.Egypt  and  took  up  his  abode  here,  he  found  a  settled  people 
sojourning  in  this  portion  of  the  land.  When  he  undertook  to 
lead  Israel  through,  the  Amalekites  opposed  their  progress,  and 
from  the  battle  that  was  fought,  they  appear  to  have  been  a 
numerous  and  powerful  people.  Did  they  make  them  ?  Had 
they  been  made  by  any  class  of  persons  permanently  dwelling 
in  the  land,  they  would  have  been  likely  to  have  abounded  in 
other  localities  in  as  great  numbers  as  where  they  are  now 
found.    We  have  seen  that  they  occur  on  those  routes  where 


262 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


transient  persons  or  mere  travelers  through  the  land  were  most 
likely  to  make  their  halts.    Did  the  Israelites  make  them? 

Who  were  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  for  the  long  period 
that  elapsed  between  the  Exodus  and  the  Christian  era?  We 
know  that  the  Egyptians  came  here  and  worked  these  mines, 
but  the  inscriptions  are  in  a  language  of  which  no  traces  have 
ever  been  found  in  Egypt.  Four  or  five  hundred  years  after 
the  Christian  era,  when  monasticism  began  to  rage  like  an  epi- 
demic, and  monks  and  anchorites  crowded  to  Mount  Sinai,  this 
desert  was  full  of  pilgrims.  Did  they  leave  these  memorials  on 
these  rocks?  Alexandrian,  African,  Syrian,  Byzantine,  and 
various  other  classes  came  here;  but  the  alphabet  of  these 
strange  characters  cannot  be  traced  to  any  of  these  known  lan- 
guages. Indeed,  Cosmas,  an  Alexandrian  merchant,  who  first 
brought  these  curious  inscriptions  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
learned  world,  was  here,  it  is  said,  in  A.  D.  535,  and  then  all 
knowledge  of  the  character  in  which  they  were  written  ap- 
pears to  have  been  lost.  He  attributes  them  to  the  ancient  He- 
brews. He  says  certain  Jews  who  had  read  them,  explained 
them  to  him.  They  indicated,  he  said,  "the  journey  of  such  a 
one,  of  such  a  tribe,  in  such  a  year,  etc."  To  this  we  have  be- 
fore alluded. 

As  late  as  1839,  Professor  Beer,  of  the  University  of  Leipzig, 
professed  to  have  made  out  the  alphabet  in  which  they  are 
written.  His  readings  of  them  appear  to  have  been  satisfacto- 
ry to  many  eminent  scholars.  He  makes  them  to  consist  mere- 
ly of  proper  names,  preceded  by  a  word — peace,  Messed,  or  some- 
thing similar.  No  dates  have  been  found.  He  considers  them 
remains  of  the  language  and  character  once  in  use  among  the 
Nabatheans  of  Arabia  Petra.  He  supposes  a  great  part  of  them 
were  written  by  Christian  pilgrims  about  the  fourth  century. 
Professor  Beer  has  certainly  made  out  a  very  plausible  theory, 
and  yet  it  is  open  to  several  serious  objections.  These  objec- 
tions I  find  stated  in  a  note  to  Doctor  Kobinson's  allusions  to 
them. 

"These  Christian  pilgrims,  who  were  they?  and  whence  did 
they  come?  The  fact  that  all  the  inscriptions  are  found  only 
on  the  great  routes  from  Egypt,  would  seem  to  imply  that  they 


THE    SINAITIC  INSCKIITIO^S. 


263 


came  from  that  country,  or  at  least  from  the  western  side  of  the 
gulf  of  Suez.  But  if  so,  how  comes  it  that  not  a  trace  of  this 
alphabet  or  language  is  found  in  Egypt  and  its  vicinity  ?  Egypt, 
too,  we  know,  was  full  of  Jews  and  Christians  in  the  early  cen- 
turies; how  comes  it,  then,  that  no  Jewish  or  Christian  names 
are  found  among  the  inscriptions?  It  is  true,  that  the  heathen 
proper  names  continued  to  be  used  long  after  the  introduction 
of  Christianity,  as  we  see  from  the  early  fathers  and  bishops. 
But  this  will  not  account  for  the  entire  absence  of  Christian 
and  Jewish  names  among  such  hosts  of  pilgrims  coming  from 
Egypt. 

"On  the  other  hand,  were  these  pilgrims  JSTabatheans,  Ishma- 
elites,  Saracens,  the  native  inhabitants  of  the  peninsula,  and  of 
Arabia  Petra  in  general?  The  heathen  names  and  the  lan- 
guage and  writing  would  lead  to  this  conclusion.  But  .  then 
how  comes  it  that  all  the  inscriptions  are  on  the  western  side 
of  the  peninsula,  and  not  one  upon  the  eastern  ?  Besides,  there 
is  no  historical  evidence  that  any  native  Christian  population 
existed  in  and  around  the  peninsula  in  the  early  centuries,  but 
rather  the  contrary.  The  Christian  exiles  from  Egypt,  and  the 
hermits  of  these  mountains,  lived  in  constant  exposure  to  slave- 
ry, or  death  from  the  heathen  around  them." 

It  appears  further,  that  after  the  above  objections  were  writ- 
ten, and  after  the  death  of  Professor  Beer,  investigations  were 
continued.  A  paper  on  the  subject  was  published  in  Germany, 
from  the  pen  of  Professor  Tuch.  He  indorses  Beer's  explana- 
tion of  the  alphabet,  and  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  in- 
scriptions are  neither  Aramaean  nor  Nabathean,  as  held  by 
Beer,  but  Arabic;  that  they  were  made  by  the  ancient  Tawara 
Arabs,  who  inhabited  the  peninsula  before  the  rise  of  Moham- 
medanism ;  and  farther,  that  they  were  made  in  the  performance 
of  pilgrim^es  to  some  holy  shrines  in  the  desert  now  unknown. 
But  I  confess  the  conclusions  of  both  Beer  and  Tuch  are  far 
from  being  satisfactory,  and  the  question  again  returns,  When  ? 
and  by  whom  ? 

DID   THE   JEWS  INSCRIBE  THEM? 

A  recent  writer  in  the  London  Quarterly  Journal  of  Prophe- 


204 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


cy  gives  us  an  elaborate  article  on  the  subject.  Unsatisfied 
with  Beer's  theory,  he  inclines  to  support  that  of  Mr.  Eorster, 
who  also  claims  to  have  discovered  a  key  to  the  strange  and 
perplexing  characters.  He  supports  the  original  opinion  of 
Cosmas,  that  they  were  written  by  the  Jews  at  the  time  of  the 
Exodus,  and  that  the  characters  are  of  an  ancient  form,  used  by 
some  of  the  dialects  of  Egypt.  He  finds  confirmation  of  this  in 
some  of  the  figurative  representations.  In  one  place,  the  figure 
of  a  man,  holding  up  both  hands  in  the  attitude  of  prayer.  This 
he  interprets  to  be  Moses  praying  for  the  success  of  Israel  against 
Amalek.  In  another,  the  figure  of  a  serpent  springing  upon  a 
man — an  allusion,  he  thinks,  to  the  fiery  serpent;  and  so  of 
others.  The  inscriptions  under,  he  says,  correspond  to  this  in- 
terpretation. This  writer  also  speaks  of  more  important  in- 
scriptions, recently  found,  than  any  that  have  yet  been  men- 
tioned— a  hieroglyphic  character  a  hundred  feet  high,  the  ✓ 
title  six  feet  in  bight,  consisting  of  but  one  line;  under  this, 
forty-one  successive  lines,  evidently  forming  an  entire  piece  of 
composition.    This  is  conjectured  to  be  the  song  of  Moses. 

Thus  I  have  given  the  reader  all  the  facts  within  my  reach 
bearing  upon  this  perplexing  subject.  It  will  be  seen  that  it  is 
still  an  open  question,  far  from  being  settled.  According  to  the 
writer  last  quoted,  it  is  constanly  assuming  more  and  more  im- 
portance. He  thinks  that  in  this  last  theory  more  of  the  dis- 
cordances seem  to  unite  and  harmonize  than  in  any  other.  "If 
these  inscriptions,"  he  says,  "are  Israel's  own  records  of  the 
Lord's  dealings  with  them,  how  much  light  may  yet  be  cast 
upon  scripture !  The  rocks  of  Sinai  may  yet  prove  reflectors 
of  a  wondrous  light  upon  many  things  that  have  hitherto  been 
accounted  dark  and  puzzling.  The  field  of  antiquities  thus 
opened  to  us  promise  to  be  one  of  profoundest  interest — far  be- 
yond that  attaching  to  either  Nineveh  or  Babylomt*  If  these 
inscriptions  are  indeed  Israel's  own  records  of  the  Lord's  deal- 
ings with  them,  then  what  can  the  unbeliever  say?  They  are 
not  taken  from  scripture ;  they  were  written  prior  to  the  penta- 
teuch.  The  very  stones  may  cry  out  against  him,  and  say: 
"  The  God  of  Israel  is  he  who  alone  doeth  wonders ;  J  ehovah  is 
his  name.''    It  would,  indeed,  be  strange  if  these  mountain 


A    CHEEKLESS  CEMETERY. 


265 


tablets  should  yet  prove  to  be  a  portion  of  the  Handwriting 
of  God,  by  which  the  Mosaic  record  is  to  be  confirmed.  That 
the  art  of  writing  on  stone  at  that  period  was  known,  is  a  well 
attested  fact,  for  the  children  of  Israel  received  the  tables'  of 
the  law  written  in  that  manner.  But  how  we  are  lingering 
among  these  records  of  lost  languages  and  extinct  tribes.  Well, 
we  are  not  the  only  travelers  that  have  tarried  to  gaze,  think 
and  wonder. 

A  BURYING-GROUND. 

Having  finished  our  work  of  copying  a  few  of  the  strange  in- 
scriptions, we  continued  our  ride  along  the  valley.  At  10  o'clock 
we  passed  a  Bedawin  burying-ground,  on  a  little  eminence  in 
the  wild,  rock-strown  valley.  There  were  a  large  number  of 
groves,  each  one  rudely  marked  by  a  pile  of  loose  stones  at  the 
head  and  foot. — no  inclosure,  no  turf-covered  mound,  no  cypress 
shade.  As  I  looked  upon  the  frowning  precipice  of  rocks  that 
hung  over  it  from  above,  upon  the  sterile  and  desolate  ground 
beneath,  it  seemed  like  a  sad  and  bitter  thing  to  die  and  be 
buried  thus  in  such  a  cheerless  spot.  Almost  involuntarily  I 
found  myself  exclaiming:  "Lord,  protect  me,  and  let  me  re- 
turn and  be  buried  among  my  kindred,  where  the  grass  grows 
and  the  flowers  bloom,  and  the  willow  spreads  its  inviting 
shade/' 

Of  the  wildness  of  the  country  through  which  we  were  now 
passing,  one  can  form  no  conception  from  any  written  descrip- 
tion. Shut  in  by  lofty  hills;  winding  our  way  among  huge 
fragments  of  rocks  that  had  been  torn  from  their  native  beds; 
occasionally  catching  a  view  of  the  tall,  gray  summit  of  Serbal ; 
the  profound  solitude,  the  nude  hills,  and  the  utter  desolation 
that  every  where  met  the  eye,  inspired  a  sort  of  trembling  nerv- 
ousness almost  amounting  to  fear;  while  the  sublimity  of  the 
scene  was  grand  and  impressive  beyond  the  power  of  expres- 
sion. 

At  11  o'clock  we  passed  a  flock  of  goats,  some  thirty  or 
more — all  of  them  black — with  two  young  camels.  A  small 
Bedawin  boy,  apparently  about  twelve  years  of  age,  had  charge 
of  them.    He  was  half-na^ed,  and  the  little  clothing  he  had 


266  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

was  all  in  rags,  so  tattered  he  could  scarcely  keep  them  about 
him.  How  the  flock  lived  here  was  a  mystery,  for  scarce  a 
green  thing  could  be  seen.  At  12  o'clock  we  stopped  to  lunch 
under  a  dwarf  acacia,  whose  thin,  sickly-looking  leaves  afforded 
us  but  a  slight  protection  from  the  now  oppressive  rays  of  the 
noontide  sun.  It  was-  all  the  shelter  we  could  find.  Passing 
on  at  half-past  1  o'clock,  we  entered 

WADY  FEIRAN. 

These  wadies,  to  use  the  language  of  another,  "are  exactly 
like  the  beds  and  valleys  of  our  rivers  in  mountainous  regions, 
only  that  there  is  no  water,"  and  in  most  of  them  very  little, 
if  any,  vegetation.  In  the  winter  season  the  water  evidently 
rushes  through  them  in  sweeping  torrents;  as  collected  and 
poured  down  from  the  mountain  sides,  it  is  driven  onward  to 
the  sea.  But  these  currents  of  water  are  transient,  and  suc- 
ceeded by  a  drouth  that  withers  almost  every  green  thing.  In 
these  dry  seasons  every  appearance  of  water  deceives  you. 
You  look  for  it,  long  for  it,  but  find  it  not. 

This  Wady  Feiran  forms  an  exception  to  the  general  rule. 
It  is  really  an  oasis  in  the  desert — a  green  spot  in  this  barren 
sanctuary  of  hills.  But  it  is  not  all  the  valley  that  is  thus  fer- 
tile. After  entering  it,  we  passed  on  some  two  hours  over  the 
level  bed  of  the  valley,  which  here  spreads  out  into  a  barren, 
sandy  plain,  from  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  yards  wide. 
At  half-past  four  o'clock  we  passed  a  Bedawin  encampment- 
some  twenty  to  thirty  low,  black  tents,  several  children,  some 
goats,  and  three  or  four  camels  wandering  about  near  them. 
Near  this  we  saw  two  sand-colored  swallows  or  martins,  and 
directly  after  two  small  blackbirds,  marked  with  white.  It 
seemed  pleasant  in  this  desert  region  to  see  any  thing  that  had 
life.  Soon  afterwards  we  met  a  Bedawin  on  horseback,  carry- 
ing a  good-sized  lamb  in  his  arms.  It  seemed  that,  hearing  of 
our  approach,  he  had  come  out  to  meet  us,  to  see  if  he  could 
not  find  a  market  for  his  animal.  His  price  was  one  dollar, 
but  for  some  reason  our  dragoman  did  not  succeed  in  making  a 
bargain  with  him.  Now  the  valley  began  again  to  narrow  upon 
us.    The  tall  cliffs  rose  up  ou  each*  side,  curiously  striped  with 


OASIS    IN    THE  DESERT. 


269 


various  colors  of  porphyry,  intermixed  with  the  primitive 
granite  rock.  Night  again  overtook  us,  and  again  we  pitched 
our  tents  before  reaching  the  green  portion  of  the  valley,  of 
which  we  had  so  often  heard,  and  for  which  we  had  so  anxious- 
ly looked.  Upon  lighting  our  candles,  a  few  winged  insects 
came  buzzing  around,  the  first  we  had  seen  since  entering  the 
desert,  and  a  bat  also  came  flying  around  our  tents.  Sure  we 
must  be  approaching  some  place  where  animal  life  can  find 
subsistence.  To-morrow  we  are  promised  a  view  of  the  ver- 
dure of  Feiran,  and  a  draft  from  its  refreshing  waters. 

SIXTH   DAY    FROM  SUEZ. 

March  2d.  "We  were  called  this  morning  at  half-past  four 
o'clock;  our  dragoman  wishing  to  make  a  long  ride  to-day. 
By  the  time  the  sun  cast  his  first  morning  rays  on  the  loft} 
peak  of  old  Serbal,  in  sight  of  which  we  had  encamped,  we 
•  had  breakfasted,  and.  were  once  more  on  our  way.  We  walked 
on  for  an  hour  or  more  ahead  of  our  camels;  sometimes  gazing 
with  awe  and  astonishment  upon  the  deep  ravines  and  huge 
clefts  that  opened  here  and  there  among  the  mountains,  some- 
times wondering  at  the  enormous  bowlders  that  had  been  pre- 
cipitated into  the  valley  below.  Nothing  could  be  more  sug- 
gestive of'  banditti  and  Bedawin  robbers  than  these  wild,  deep 
glens,  and,  in  spite  of  all  assurances  of  security,  the  imagina- 
tion would  sometimes  picture  the  long  gun  and  half-concealed 
form  of  some  daring  robber  skulking  behind  the  rocks. 

Between  8  and  9  o'clock,  an  abrupt  turn  in  the  valley  brought 
us  directly  in  front  of  Serbal,  one  of  the  boldest  and  grandest 
Of  the  Sinaitic  mountains.  Though  still  a  number  of  miles  dis- 
tant, it  seemed  to  rise  up  before  us  directly  from  the  plain,  lift- 
ing its  bold,  granite  peak  in  solemn  majesty  and  grandeur  far 
into  the  heavens.  Near  here  we  passed,  upon  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  to  the  left,  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  village.  It  is  es- 
timated to  have  contained  about  one  hundred  houses,  which 
had  been  built  of  stone,  some  of  the  walls  still  standing.  Near 
it,  in  the  valley,  are  a  few  palm  trees  and  other  indications  of 
vegetation. 

About  9  o'clock  we  reached  the  much  talked  of  oasis — the 
16 


270 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


garden  in  the  desert — a  fertile  spot  in  this  sanctuary  of  moun- 
tain peaks.  Here  a  grove  of  the  date  palm  cheered  the  eye, 
and  several  other  kinds  of  fruit  trees,  now  clothed  in  the  beau- 
ty and  blossoms  of  spring,  lent  a  sweet  fragrance  to  the  desert 
air.  The  cheerful  song  of  a  few  birds  fell  upon  the  ear,  and  a 
few  cultivated  patches  of  ground  promised  a  reward  for  the  la- 
borer's toil.  Here,  too,  was  water — sweet  water — a  running 
stream  of  water — water  that  we  could  drink.  It  was  the  first 
water  we  had  found  in  all  our  weary  journey  from  Cairo,  that 
we  thought  deserved  the  name.  Our  camels  rushed  towards  it 
and  drinked  with  an  eagerness  that  would  have  exhausted  the 
stream  had  there  not  been  a  bountiful  supply.  We  refreshed 
ourselves,  bathed  our  hands  and  faces,  and  lingered  around  the 
stream.    This  was 

THE    OASIS   OF  FEIRAN. 

This  Feiran  is  called  "  The  Paradise  of  the  Bedawin."  It  is,  • 
indeed,  beautiful  and  fertile,  when  seen  in  contrast  with  the 
barren  wastes  of  sands  and  the  bleak,  naked  hills  and  moun- 
tains that  encircle  it  for  miles  on  every  side.  But  it  is  this 
contrast,  rather  than  the  real  merits  of  the  place,  that  has  ani- 
mated the  pen  of  those  tourists  whose  descriptions  have  invested 
it  with  such  attractive  beauties  and  excellencies.  It  is  not 
probably  now  what  it  has  been  in  former  years,  for  beauty  and 
excellence  no  where  spring  up,  or  are  perpetuated  in  the  track 
of  the  Bedawin.  AH  that  is  bright  and  beautiful  seems  to  per- 
ish beneath  the  touch  of  his  hand. 

Some  have  endeavored  to  identify  this  with  the  Rephidim 
of  the  Exodus,  where  Moses  smote  the  rock,  and  Amalek  fought 
against  Israel.  And  some  have  attempted  to  prove  that  yon- 
der towering  hight  of  Serbal,  that  looks  down  from  his  sublime 
canopy  of  clouds  upon  this  enchanting  valley  of  the  desert,  is 
the  real  Sinai  of  the  law,  and  the  scene  of  that  astounding  ex- 
hibition of  the  Divine  majesty  and  glory.  But  the  arguments 
by  which  this  is  sustained  are  far  from  being  satisfactory.  And 
yet  this,  next  to  Sinai,  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interesting 
spots  in  all  tiie  peninsula.  Here  is  the  beauty  of  the  valley  in 
contrast  with  the  sublimity  of  the  mountain  peaks ;  and  what 


EARLY    CHRISTIAN  SETTLEMENTS. 


271 


peaks  they  are !  All  of  granite,  rising  so  precipitously  and 
column-like  as  to  appear  inaccessible  to  man,  while  large 
masses  of  snow  glistened  in  the  sunlight  upon  their  tops. 
Around  me  was  the  beauty,  melody  and  fertility  of  spring. 
From  these  I  had  but  to  lift  my  eyes,  and  there,  amid  majesty 
and  grandeur,  were  the  frosts  and  snows  of  winter. 

But  though  not  the  theatre  of  those  amazing  events  that 
overawed  the  people,  when  God  in  his  majesty  touched  the 
mount,  here,  it  is  certain,  the  tribes  of  Israel  came.  Through 
this  valley  the  numerous  columns  marched  in  solemn  proces- 
sion toward  the  Mount  of  God.  From  these  waters  they  drank ; 
from  this  ground  they  gathered  the  bread  of  heaven ;  and  these 
tall  mountain  sides  and  deep  gorges  were  illuminated  by  the 
mysterious  cloud. 

CHRISTIANS   IN    WADY  FEIRAN. 

The  fertility  of  this  valley,  and  the  sacred  associations  that 
may  have  been  connected  with  its  mountain  scenery,  early  drew 
large  numbers  of  Christian  pilgrims  to  the  place.  Here  are 
still  seen  large  masses  of  the  ruined  city  of  Faran,  or,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  Paran.  Soon  after  the  spread  of  Christiani- 
ty, and  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century,  large 
numbers  of  Christians,  some  driven  by  persecution,  and  some 
urged  by  the  love  and  supposed  merits  of  a  secluded  and  mo- 
nastic life,  were  drawn  to  these  lonely  solitudes  of  the  desert. 
There  was  quite  a  Christian  population,  and  a  regularly  organ- 
ized ecclesiastical  community  in  this  valley  as  early  as  A.  D. 
400.  Many  convents  subsequently  sprung  up  in  different  por- 
tions of  the  desert.  Monasticism  became  a  spiritual  epidemic; 
solitude,  abstinence,  bodily  penance  and  privations  were  re- 
sorted to,  as  the  holy  cross  upon  which  to  crucify  the  flesh,  and 
the  talismanic  charm  to  exorcise  the  devil.  Then  it  was,  as  one 
truly  says,  that  the  wildest  glens  of  these  gloomy  regions 
swarmed  with  anchorites;  every  comfortless  spot  was  religious- 
ly  searched  out ;  every  wretched  cave  and  gloomy  grot  was  con- 
stituted the  living  tomb  of  some  saintly  hermit.  All  along 
these  wild  glens  and  rocky  mountain  sides  can  still  be  seen  the 
remains  of  these  miserable  abodes,  where  some  human  being 


272 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


spent  his  life  in  self-inflicted  torture,  fasting  and  prayer.  "We 
climbed  up  the  hill-sides  and  entered  two  or  three  of  them — 
wretched,  cheerless  abodes  they  must  have  been.  As  we  looked 
upon  the  gloomy  apartment,  and  pictured  to  ourselves  the  lean 
and  famished  victim  of  a  superstitious  delusion,  dying  from  ex- 
posure and  starvation,  we  wondered  how,  amid  all  the  glorious 
light,  and  cheerful  hopes,  and  delightful  pleasures  of  an  active 
Christian  obedience,  any  one  could  ever  have  thought  it  neces- 
sary, or  acceptable  to  God,  to  stultify  their  manhood,  obliterate 
their  being,  and  turn  earth  into  hell,  in  hopes  of  gaining  heaven. 
Such  was  the  rage  for  this  kind  of  life  in  the  earlier  ages  of 
Christianity,  it  is  said  that  at  one  time  there  were  more  than 
six  thousand  hermits  living  in  these  mountain  glens  and  desert 
retreats.  But  this  episcopal  city  of  Paran  long  since  became  a 
heap  of  ruins.  Convent  after  convent  has  perished,  and  but 
one  in  all  the  desert,  as  we  shall  see  "hereafter,  now  remains. 

COLOR   AND    FORM    OF    THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Again,  like  a  loitering  school-boy,  we  are  lingering  by  the 
way.  There  are  so  many  things  of  interest  in  this  strange  land, 
we  are  making  but  slow  progress.  We  must  leave  these  mur- 
muring waters,  delightful  shades  and  pleasant  groves  of  palm. 
Farewell,  Feiran !  Adieu,  ye  sublime  and  mysterious  peaks  of 
Serbal !  A  short  ride,  and  vegetation  will  again  cease,  and  no 
sign  of  rural  life  will  greet  us.  A  few  miserable  families  make 
their  home  in  this  valley,  but  it  is  said  they  are  not  of  the  gen- 
uine Bedawin  race.  They  have  converted  some  portions  of  the 
old,  dilapidated  ruins  of  the  former  stone  houses  into  a  sort  of 
dwelling  places,  by  covering  them  with  brush  and  reeds ;  but 
they  are  in  a  condition  of  the  most  abject  poverty.  Here  I  saw 
the  first  female  I  have  seen  since  entering  the  desert.  The 
Bedawin  proper  has  no  home.  He  camps  in  Feiran  as  long  as 
the  trees  yield  him  any  revenues  of  fruits,  or  there  is  any  veg- 
etation for  his  flocks,  and  then  moves,  and  again  pitches  his  tent 
wherever  he  can  find  a  little  herbage  for  his  goats.  Here  I  saw 
the  first  spires  of  grass  I  have  seen  since  leaving  the  green  val- 
ley of  the  Nile.    Of  this,  however,  there  was  a  very  scanty 


SUBLIME  SCENEET. 


273 


growth,  seemingly  struggling  for  a  bare  existence  among  the 
sands  of  the  valley. 

Passing  on,  about  half-past  10  o'clock  we  came  to  the  head 
of  Wady  Feiran,  where  the  road  branches  in  two  directions, 
both  leading  by  different  routes  to  Sinai — Wady  Sheik  to  the 
left,  Wady  Soolah  to  the  right.  The  former  is  the  longer  but 
easier  route,  and  is  supposed  to  be  the  one  taken  by  the  Israel- 
ites. We  took  Wady  Soolah,  to  the  right,  the  shorter  but  more 
difficult  route ;  and  difficult,  indeed*  we  found  it.  The  appear- 
ance of  the  mountains  was  strange  indeed.  Here  was  nature 
in  her  primitive  dishabille;  unrobed — divested  of  those  append- 
ages and  adornments  of  subsoil,  mold,  variegated  carpets,  and 
overshadowing  forests,  with  which,  in  more  favored  lands,  she 
contrives  to  hide  her  primeval  ruggedness.  The  mountains 
lifted  their  tall,  granite  heads  in  sullen,  frowning  majesty.  But 
in  the  convulsions  of  nature  by  which  they  were  lifted  upward 
they  had  been  rent  asunder,  and  boiling  streams  of  various 
colors  injected  through  them  with  which  they  were  now 
streaked  from  top  to  bottom.  What  a  country  for  a  geologist ! 
Here  he  might  revel  among  primitive,  secondary  and  tertiary 
formations — granite,  sandstone,  porphyry  and  chalk — now  a 
huge  elevation  of  white  clay,  now  a  pyramid  of  yellow  sand — 
alluvial  deposits,  the  torrents  of  past  ages  have  molded  into 
shape,  but  have  not  entirely  swept  away — now  a  range  of  low, 
black-looking  hills,  that  one  says,  "  seem  to  be  the  ruins,  the 
cinders  of  mountains  calcined  to  ashes,  like  the  heaps  of  a  giant 
foundry."  All  seems  to  conspire  to  convince  you  that  "you  are 
traveling  in  the  very  focus  of  creative  power."  The  mountain 
elevations,  the  precipitous  bluffs,  the  deep,  dark  glens,  the 
black  and  barren  hills,  the  enormous  bowlders  of  the  valleys 
and  ravines,  all  conspire  to  impress  the  mind.  The  scenery 
cannot  be  called  beautiful — it  is  grand,  sublime,  awful. 

ACACIA,   SHTTTIM  WOOD. 

As  we  passed  on,  the  wildness  of  the  scenery  seemed  to  in- 
crease. At  12  o'clock  we  stopped  in  the  scanty  shade  of  an 
acacia  tree,  to  take  our  lunch.  We  spread  our  blanket  upon 
the  sand — for  it  must  ever  be  borne  in  mind,  that  nature  keeps 


274 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


no  carpeted  floors  in  these  secluded  regions.  While  we  are 
eating,  we  may  take  a  more  scrutinizing  look  at  the  tree  under 
which  we  are  sitting.  It  is  the  wild  acacia.  The  Arabs  and 
Egyptians  call  it  "  sont."  It  is  a  thorny  tree,  very  much  re- 
sembling oar  locust.  There  are  different  varieties  of  it.  One 
is  supposed  to  be  the  "seneh,"  or  "senna,"  the  burning  bush  of 
Sinai.  A  different  variety  of  the  same  tree  is  supposed  to  be 
the  "shittah,"  and  which,  from  its  thick  and  tangled  branches, 
receives  in  scripture  the  plural  form  of  the  name,  shittim.  This 
variety  of  tree  is  found  not  only  through  these  desert  regions, 
where  the  valleys  afford  moisture  enough  to  support  vegetation, 
but  also  abounds  in  Egypt,  and  is  sometimes  found,  though 
rarely,  in  Palestine.  It  is  from  a  variety  of  this  tree  the  old 
Arabic  frankincense  is  said  to  be  obtained. 

The  inquiry  often  arose  in  my  own  mind :  "  Could  it  have 
been  from  these  trees  that  the  noble  planks  that  constituted  the 
sides  of  the  tabernacle  were  formed  ? "  They  were,  reckoning 
the  cubit  at  eighteen  inches — and  many  reckon  it  at  twenty-one 
— fifteen  feet  long  and  twenty-seven  inches  broad.  There  are, 
certainly,  no  trees  now  in  this  region  from  which  boards  of  this 
size  could  be  cut.  But  as  we  have  said  before,  no  doubt  but 
great  changes  have  taken  place  in  these  valleys  since  Israel  en- 
camped among  them,  and  from  what  the  trees  are  now,  we  can 
form  but  little  idea  of  what  they  were  then.  The  whole  bibli- 
cal narrative  implies  a  far  different  state  of  things  in  this  re- 
gion, from  that  which  now  exists.  But  it  is  by  no  means  cer- 
tain that  this  is  the  tree  of  the  shittim  wood.  The  principal 
reason  for  supposing  it  such,  is,  that  it  is  now  the  largest  tree 
found  in  the  desert.  The  Septuagint  translates  the  Hebrew 
shittim,  " incorruptible  wood"  but  gives  us  no  clue  to  the  variety 
of  tree  from  which  it  was  cut.  The  wood  of  some  varieties  of 
this  acacia  is  hard,  fine  grained,  and  capable  of  a  beautiful  pol- 
ish. The  reader  may  be  curious  to  know  what  other  trees  and 
plants  we  met  with  in  this  desert  region  worthy  of  notice. 
Among  them  we  may  mention  the 

RETEM,    OR   WILD  BROOM. 

This  plant  gives  its  name  to  one  of  the  encampments  of  the 


PLANTS    OF    THE  DESERT. 


275 


Israelites, Num.  xxiii.  18.  Rithma.  This,  by  many,  is  identified 
with  the  Juniper,  under  which  Elijah  slept  when  he  fled  into 
the  wilderness  from  the  cruel  persecutions  of  Jezebel  and  Ahab. 
From  Beersheba  he  went  into  the  great  wilderness  where  Moses, 
years  before,  had  led  the  people  of  God.  Faint  and  weary, 
and  wishing  he  might  die,  he  lay  down  under  one  of  these  de- 
sert shrubs  to  sleep.  Here  the  angel  of  the  Lord  found  him, 
awoke  him,  and  gave  him  the  food,  upon  the  strength  of  which 
he  went  forty  days  unto  the  Mount  of  God,  the  mount  whither 
we  are  now  wending  our  steps. 

A  singular  allusion  is  made  to  this  plant  by  the  Psalmist : 
"  What  shall  be  given  unto  thee,  or  what  shall  be  done  unto 
thee,  thou  false  tongue?  Sharp  arrows  of  the  mighty  with 
coals  of  Juniper."  He  seems  to  consider  the  coals  of  this  plant 
as  affording  the  fiercest  fire  of  any  combustible  matter,  and  the 
subjugation  of  the  lying  tongue  to  its  fierce  and  devouring  fire, 
its  most  appropriate  punishment.  Its  twigs  are  long,  round 
and  tough ;  it  grows  low,  thick  and  scrubby,  and  bears  a  white 
blossom. 

There  is  another  plant  here  worthy  of  our  attention.  Fre- 
quently, as  you  look  upon  these  steep  precipices,  you  will  see  a 
bright,  green  plant  or  vine,  taking  root  in  some  fissure  in  the 
rocks,  and  hanging  like  a  pendant  high  in  the  air.  In  this 
plant  it  is  supposed  we  have 
fl 

THE   HYSSOP   OP   THE  BIBLE. 

The  Bedawins  called  it  "lasaf"  or  "aszef;"  among  English 
travelers  it  is  known  as  the  "  caper  plant."  That  it  grew  in 
such  positions  as  we  here  find  it  is  evident  from  what  is  said  in 
the  fourth  chapter  of  1st  Kings,  in  speaking  of  Solomon's  bo- 
tanical writings:  "He  spoke  of  trees  from  the  cedar  tree  that 
is  in  Lebanon,  even  unto  the  hyssop  that  springeth  out  of  fhe 
wall."  In  reference  to  some  allusions  to  the  use  of  this  plant 
in  the  New  Testament,  it  is  said  there  were  two  kinds  of  it; 
the  wild  or  mountain  hyssop,  and  the  cultivated,  growing  in 
open  fields  or  gardens,  having  a  strong  stalk.  The  hyssop  of 
the  Old  Testament  seems  to  be  a  soft,  flexible,  bushy  plant,  of 


276 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


which  a  sort  of  broom  could  be  made  for  sprinkling  blood  or 
water. 

From  this  plant  probably  came  the  green  branches  used  in 
the  religious  ceremonies  of  the  Hebrews.  It  grows  in  this  de- 
sert on  the  most  barren  soil  and  rocky  precipices.  It  has  always 
been  supposed  to  possess  medicinal  virtues  and  cleansing  pro- 
perties. It  was  first  used  by  the  Israelites  on  that  fearfurnight 
before  their  departure  out  of  Egypt,  to  sprinkle  the  blood  of  the 
paschal  lamb  upon  their  door-posts,  which  was  to  be  the  token 
of  their  safety  when  the  destroying  angel  went  through  the 
land.  It  ever  afterwards  continued  to  be  used  in  all  their  reli- 
gious ceremonies  in  sprinkling  the  cleansing  waters  and  the 
sacrificial  blood,  which  were  made  types  of  purification.  Some 
of  my  readers  would  like  to  know  what  I  learned  of 

THE   MANNA  PLANT. 

I  saw  it  frequently,  and  brought  home  a  cane  I  cut  from  one 
of  the  bushes.  "And  was  the  manna  upon  which  the  children 
of  Israel  so  long  fed,  really  the  product  of  that  plant?"  ,  I  ap- 
prehend their  manna  was  a  very  different  thing,  and  produced 
from  a  very  different  source.  The  plant  that  produces  the 
manna  of  commerce,  is  called  by  the  Arabs  "  turfa ; "  Frank 
travelers  call  it  tamarisk.  It  is  a  thick,  bushy  tree,  the  tallest 
ones  I  saw  not  over  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high.  It  has  no 
thorns,  and  has  a  long,  narrow,  bright,  green  leaf.  The  leaves 
are  so  slim  and  thickly  set,  one  calls  it  the  feathery  tamarisk. 
How  large  it  would  grow  under  favorable  circumstances,  can 
scarcely  be  inferred  from  the  stunted  growth  of  these  valleys, 
where  the  requisites  of  soil  and  water  are  poorly  supplied. 

Doctor  Robinson,  who  gathered  a  more  particular  account 
of  this  product  of  the  desert  from  the  monks  of  the  convent  at 
Sinai  than  I  was  able  to  do,  tell  us  the  manna  "  is  found  in  the 
form  of  shining  drops  on  the  twigs  and  branches,  not  on  the 
leaves  of  this  turfa.  It  exudes  in  consequence  of  the  puncture 
of  an  insect.  It  has  the  appearance  of  gum,  is  of  a  sweetish 
taste,  and  melts  when  exposed  to  the  sun  or  fire.  What  falls 
upon  the  sand  is  not  gathered."  We  are  also  informed  that  it 
is  not  produced  every  year.    After  a  supply  of  one  year  has 


THE  MANNA. 


279 


been  gathered,  five  or  six  years  sometimes  elapse  before  any 
considerable  quantity  of  it  again  appears.  Of  late  years  but 
little  of  it  has  been  produced,  occasioned,  probably,  by  the 
diminution  of  the  plant  from  which  it  distills.  The  Arabs 
gather  it  and  bring  it  into  the  convent  at  Sinai,  where  pots  of 
it  can  sometimes  be  bought  from  the  monks.  An  inferior  and 
adulterated  form  of  it  can  be  also  found  in  our  apothecary 
shops. 

Such  is  the  manna  of  the  desert,  and  of  the  present  day. 
How  different  from  that  bread  with  which  God  fed  his  people 
in  this  same  wilderness!  I  know  that  some  have  affected  to 
believe,  and  attempted  to  prove,  that  this  gum  of  the  turfa 
must  have  been  Israel's  food.  They  tell  us  Moses  was  intimate- 
ly acquainted  with  the  whole  country,  and  thus  was  enabled  to 
guide  the  Israelites  by  the  routes  best  supplied  with  these 
manna  trees.  But  what  intelligent  person  can  for  a  moment 
entertain  this  supposition?  This  production  of  the  Arabian 
desert  is  called  by  the  same  name,  but  aside  from  this  it  has 
scarce  a  single  property  in  its  nature,  or  a  single  circumstance 
in  its  production,  in  common  with  the  manna  of  the  Exodus. 
Of  the  manna  of  the  Bible,  not  one  word  is  said  about  its  being 
the  product  of  a  tree  or  bush.  When  the  dew  fell  upon  the  camp 
in  the  night  the  manna  fell  upon  it.  "When  the  dew  that  lay 
was  gone  up,  behold,  upon  the  face  of  the  desert  a  small  round 
thing,  small  as  the  hoar-frost  upon  the  ground ;  and  it  was  like 
coriander  seed,  white ;  and  the  taste  of  it  was  like  wafers  with 
honey."    Ex.  xvi.  14. 

The  product  of  the  turfa  is  rather  a  drug  or  medicine  than 
an  article  of  diet,  and  is  used  only  for  medical  purposes.  It 
falls  on  the  ground  only  by  accident  or  from  neglect,  and  when 
it  has  so  fallen  it  is  unfit  to  be  gathered.  It  is  only  during  a 
few  weeks  of  the  year  that  it  exudes  from  the  punctured  limbs 
or  twigs ;  and  as  for  quantity,  as  at  present  produced,  the  supply 
is  very  meagre,  and  were  it  fit  for  food,  and  the  whole  penin- 
sula a  thicket  of  turfa  trees,  the  quantity  produced  would  be 
far  from  sufficient  to  supply  two  millions  or  more  of  people.  * 

The  manna  of  the  Exodus  fell  upon  the  ground;  it  fell  all 
the  year  round,  and  in  such  quantities  as  to  yield  a  bountiful 


280 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


supply  for  all  the  men,  women  and  children  of  the  vast 
concourse  that  were  journeying  to  the  Promised  Land.  It 
seems  to  have  constituted  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  their 
sustenance.  They  gathered  it  from  the  earth — ground  it  in 
mills,  or  beat  it  in  mortars — baked  it  in  pans,  and  made  it  into 
cakes — and  its  taste  was  "  as  the  taste  of  fresh  oil."  For  one, 
I  could  never  look  upon  this  manna  of  the  days  of  Moses  as 
any  thing  but 

A   PERPETUAL  MIRACLE. 

A  miracle  renewed  day  by  day,  following  the  Israelites  for 
forty  years  through  all  these  winding  paths,  in  this  great  and 
terrible  wilderness.  It  was  certainly  a  strange  and  marvelous 
kind  of  food  provided  for  the  exigencies  of  the  occasion.  It 
had  a  mysterious  and  supernatural  origin.  It  had  never  been 
heard  of  before,  and  has  never  been  seen  since.  The  Israelites 
had  come  to  their  eighth  encampment  in  the  wilderness;  their 
scanty  supply  of  flour  and  unleavened  bread  brought  from 
Egypt  was  exhausted;  they  began  to  murmur  against  Moses, 
and  against  Aaron ;  they  wished  they  had  stayed  and  died  in 
the  land  of  Egypt,  where  they  sat  by  the  flesh-pots  and  did  eat 
bread  to  the  full. 

But  God  had  his  own  great  purposes  to  accomplish  concern- 
ing them.  A  night  of  murmuring  and  discontent  slowly  wore 
away.  In  the  morning,  when  the  dew  was  gone  up  from  the 
face  of  the  wilderness,  "there  lay  upon  the  ground  a  small  round 
thing."  It  was  strange  in  its  appearance,  and  pleasant  to  the 
taste,  and  scattered  with  astonishing  profusion  all  about  the 
camp.  They  did  not  know  what  it  was.  The  Hebrew,  man-hu, 
we  are  told  literally  signifies,  what  is  it?  And  they  said, 
"man-hu?"  What  is  it?  "for  they  knew  not  what  it  was." 
Moses  answered,  "  This  is  the  bread  which  the  Lord  hath  given 
vou  to  eat." 

There  was  a  mystery  about  this,  and  this  mystery  was  per- 
petuated in  the  very  name  by  which  it  was  then,  and  has  ever 
since  been  designated.  Man-hu?  what  is  it?  Who,  to  this 
day,  knows  ?  only  that  it  was  food  provided  for  the  people  of 
God,  in  a  barren  wilderness,  by  the  direct  agency  of  the  Al- 


MIRACLE   OF   THE  MANNA. 


281 


mighty.  And  this  allusion  to  the  mystery  of  the  manna  sug- 
gests another  thought  as  to 

ITS    SPIRITUAL  SIGNIFICANCE. 

We  are  taught  it  was  the  type  of  Christ  Jesus,  the  living 
spiritual  bread,  with  which  God  feeds  his  redeemed  and  spirit- 
ual people  in  their  passage  through  the  wilderness  of  this  world 
to  the  true  Canaan  of  everlasting  rest.  And  what  do  we  know 
of  Him  more  than  they  knew  of  this  strange  bread  in  the  wil- 
derness? How  strange  and  wonderful  the  manner  in  which  he 
made  his  appearance  in  the  world !  His  mother  could  not 
comprehend  it,  and  pondered  the  mysterious  events  in  her 
heart.  The  learned  doctors  in  the  temple  were  filled  with  sur- 
prise and  astonishment.  John  the  Baptist  knew  him  not,  only 
as  he  was  revealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Delegations  were  sent 
from  priests  and  rulers  to  inquire,  "Who  art  thou?"  He  came 
unto  his  own,  and  his  own  knew  him  not.  Who  is  he?  was 
the  universal  inquiry.  Man-hut  What  is  it?  was  heard  from 
every  class,  and  the  most  they  could  learn  was,  "I  am  the  liv- 
ing bread  that  came  down  from  heaven,  which  God  hath  given 
for  the  life  of  the  world." 

HOME   OF   OUR  SHEIK. 

While  we  have  been  looking  at  these  trees  and  plants,  our 
lunch  has  been  finished,  and  we  have  been  refreshed  by  an 
hour's  rest,  and  again  we  must  be  toiling  along  our  mountain 
pathway.  About  half-past  3  o'clock  we  passed  the  home  of  our 
sheik.  In  a  valley  among  the  hills,  twenty-five  or  thirty  low, 
black  tents  marked  the  resting  place  of  his  family,  and  the  por- 
tion of  his  tribe  among  which  he  held  a  sort  of  patriarchal 
dominion.  He  invited  us  to  stop  and  share  the  hospitality  of 
his  family  and  people,  offering  to  entertain  us  for  the  night ; 
but  it  was  not  consistent  with  our  plans,  and  we  passed  on. 
As  we  rode  by  the  tents,  several  dirty,  ragged  children  came 
out  to  gaze  at  us.  One  of  them,  a  girl  ten  or  twelve  years  old, 
the  sheik  caught  in  his  arms  and  kissed  with  apparent  tender- 
ness and  affection,  informing  us  she  was  his  daughter.    I  took 


282  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

kindly  notice  of  her,  and  gave  her  some  dried  fruit  I  had  in  my 
bag,  at  which  the  old  sheik  seemed  highly  pleased. 

An  hour  and  a  half  more  and  we  had  overtaken  our  baggage 
camels.  Our  tents  had  been  pitched  and  were  ready  for  our  re- 
ception ;  our  cook  was  busy  at  his  duties  over  his  smoking  fire 
and  steaming  kettles.  An  hour  or  two  more  and  the  light  of 
our  camp-fires  had  gone  out;  the  curtains  of  night  vailed  tent, 
camel  and  Bedawin,  and  deep  sleep  settled  down  upon  us.  To- 
morrow we  expect  to  camp  at  the  base  of  Sinai — the  Mount  of 
God. 

March  3d.  Before  the  sun  had  risen  high  enough  to  peep  in 
among  the  mountain  recesses,  Mohammed  had  given  us  the 
morning  call,  for  we  had  before  arranged  for  an  early  start. 
We  were  now  in  an  elevated  mountain  region.  The  night  had 
been  cold.  The  white  frost  was  around  us,  reminding  us  most 
impressively  of  what  is  said  of  the  manna — that  small  round 
thing  that  lay  like  the  hoar-frost  upon  the  ground.  Our  course 
was  at  first  along  Wady  Soolah.  It  is  a  barren,  rocky  valley, 
similar  to  those  we  have  before  described — to  the  right  and  left 
tall  granite  peaks,  and  all  around  us  hoary  rocks  and  deep  and 
dismal  caverns.  For  a  time  we  passed  over  an  uneven,  diluvial 
formation — heaps  of  earth  and  beds  of  gravel,  while  great 
granite  bowlders  were  scattered  in  every  direction.  The  valley 
now  narrowed  upon  us,  and  we  entered  a  defile  known  among 
the  Arabs  as 

NUBK   HAWY,    THE   WINDY   PASS.  . 

We  have  before  spoken  of  the  rocky  stairway  by  which  we 
ascended  from  the  sea  into  the  mountain  cluster  of  Serbal. 
We  had  now  another  ascent  to  make  by  this  difiicult  pass  into 
a  second  and  higher  stage  of  this  mountain  sanctuary.  Our 
pathway  was  constantly  becoming  more  rugged  and  difiicult. 
The  bare  granite  rocks  were  streaked  with  veins  of  various 
colored  porphyry.  Sometimes  the  predominance  of  iron  in 
these  rocks  gave  them  a  charred  and  blackened  appear- 
ance, as  though  a  forest  of  vegetation  had  been  burned  upon 
them.  A  wilder,  rougher,  more  desolate  looking  place  can 
scarcely  be  conceived.    You  are  completely  shut  in  by  the  great 


A    MOUNTAIN  PATHWAY. 


283 


cliffs  that  rise  frowning  and  terrific  from  ten  to  fifteen  hundred 
feet  above  you.  In  some  places  they  seem  to  hang  in  jagged 
masses  over  your  head,  and  you  almost  tremble  lest  some  top- 
pling fragment  should  come  crashing  down  from  its  fearful 
hight,  charged  with  a  death-warrant  for  both  rider  and  beast. 

Our  pathway  was  a  bed  of  rocks.  In  some  places  it  seemed 
like  stairs  of  stone,  laid  by  the  hand  of  the  Omnipotent  Crea- 
tor. In  some  places  the  hand  of  art  had  facilitated  the  passage, 
by  removing  some  of  the  topmost  blocks,  or  putting  in  others, 
where  it  was  necessary  to  gain  a  foothold.  Our  camels  toiled 
slowly  and  laboriously  along  the  rugged  ascent.*  Sometimes 
the  passage  between  the  jutting,  point  of  rocks  was  so  narrow 
our  beasts  with  their  loads  could  scarcely  pass.  Often  our  dri- 
vers had  to  walk  by  their  side  to  steady  their  burdens  for  them. 
One,  heavily  laden,  overcome  by  fatigue,  lay  down  upon  the 
rocky  path  with  piteous  cries  and  groans,  and  his  load  had  to 
be  placed  upon  others.  Tearful  of  a  fall,  I  dismounted  from 
my  camel,  and  clambered  over  the  rocks  on  foot. 

In  the  midst  of  this  rugged,  gloomy  scenery,  surrounded  by 
bare,  bleak  rocks,  the  valley  a  water-course,  where  wintry  tor- 
rents sweep  with  awful  violence,  the  thought  of  human  inhab- 
itants would  be  the  last  suggestion  of  the  solitary  place.  But 
lo !  here  comes  bounding  over  the  rocks,  with  the  agility  of  a 
fawn,  a  bare-headed,  bare-legged,  swarthy  Arab  boy,  apparently 
about  ten  years  old.  He  approaches  without  any  apparent 
signs  of  fear,  and  with  the  air  of  a  confidence-man,  stretches 
out  his  hand,  and  once  more  you  hear  the  everlasting  greeting 
of  the  tribe — backsheesh.  Like  an  apparition  he  appeared; 
like  an  apparition  we  treated  him ;  and  like  one,  he  as  quickly 
vanished  among  the  rocks. 

EMERGING   FROM   THE  PASS. 

At  last  we  gained  the  summit  of  this  outer  mountain  wall, 
which  seems  like  one  of  nature's  ramparts,  guarding  the  passage 
to  the  secluded  recesses  of  Sinai.  At  frequent  intervals  might 
be  seen,  sometimes  on  the  precipitous  bluffs,  and  sometimes  on 
fallen  fragments,  some  of  those  strange  and  unintelligible  in- 
scriptions of  which  we  have  before  spoken.    Gradually  the  val- 


284 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


ley  widened,  and  the  rugged  aspect  of  the  road  wore  away. 
Occasionally,  an  acacia  or  a  clump  of  tamarisk  relieved  the  ste- 
rility of  the  scene.  On  we  rode,  the  valley  still  widening.  I 
had  again  mounted  my  camel  and  was  riding  leisurely  along, 
when  suddenly  I  thought  I  heard  the  faint,  piping  voice  of 
children,  as  if  close  to  me.  I  sent  a  searching  glance  about, 
but  saw  no  signs  of  human  habitation.  Was  I  mistaken  ?  I 
had  scarce  time  for  a  moment's  thought,  and  again  my  ear 
caught  the  faint  sound.  Looking  down,  I  perceived,  close  to 
the  side  of  the  path,  and  almost  under  my  camel's  feet,  three 
little  Arab  children,  sitting  close  together  squat  upon  the 
ground.  Two  of  them  had  each  a  bundle  of  dirty  rags  tied 
about  the  waist;  the  third,  a  repulsive  looking  little  thing,  had 
only  an  old  bit  of  a  rug  hanging  upon  the  back  by  a  string  tied 
round  the  neck.  This  constituted  the  child's  entire  wardrobe. 
Each  had  an  open  hand  extended  upward  in  imploring  atti- 
tude, and  again  I  heard  in  the  faint  treble  of  children,  the  word 
that  becomes  so  familiar  to  every  Frank  traveler — backsheesh, 
backsheesh !  Poor  little  wretches — before  I  could  lift  a  hand 
my  camel  had  strode  by  them,  and  what  use  they  could  make 
of  backsheesh  in  that  lone  spot  I  could  scarcely  conjecture. 

About  11  o'clock,  after  two  hours'  hard  climbing  in  the 
rocky  ravine,  we  emerged  into  Wady  Rahah.  Soon  a  sudden 
turn  in  the  road  brought  us  upon  the  entrance  to  an  open  plain, 
across  which  we  could  look  in  a  southeasterly  direction  be- 
tween three  and  four  miles.  At  the  farther  end  of  this,  rising 
directly  from  the  plain,  towered  up  a  sublime  mountain  eleva- 
tion— it  was  the  long  desired  object  of  our  pilgrimage — TtiE  Mount 
of  God. 

Our  approach  to  it,  encampment,  and  visit  to  the  convent  and 
mountain,  will  be  the  theme  of  our  next  chapter. 


FIRST    VIEW    OF  SINAI. 


285 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Encampment  at  Mount  Sinai — Visit  to  the  Convent — De- 
scription of  the  Mountain — Its  Peculiarities. 

We  are  now  drawing  near  the  hallowed  mount  from  which 
the  law  of  God  was  given.  Our  approach  is  from  the  north- 
ward over  the  Plain  of  Rahah,  which  means,  Plain  of  Best,  be- 
cause, on  this  plain  the  children  of  Israel  are  supposed  to  have 
had  their  grand  encampment  during  all  the  time  of  the  giving 
of  the  law,  and  the  building  of  the  tabernacle.  Our  ride  over 
this  plain,  of  which  we  shall  speak  hereafter,  towards  the 
mount,  occupied  about  an  hour.  The  bold  and  frowning  front 
of  Horeb  was  directly  before  us,  rising  up  from  the  plain  in  an 
almost  perpendicular  wall  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  into 
the  air.  The  sight  was  grand  and  majestic  beyond  description. 
The  emotions  of  my  own  heart  were  too  deep  and  powerful  for 
utterance.  With  awe  and  reverence,  I  approached  the  theatre 
of  those  awful  and  impressive  scenes,  that  more  than  three 
thousand  years  ago  filled  with  astonishment  and  affright  the 
assembled  hosts  of  Israel. 

As  we  approached,  we  were  straining  our  eyes  to  catch  a  first 
view  of  human  habitation.  Soon  the  tall,  dark  forms  of  a  few 
cypress  trees  arrested  our  attention,  standing  like  giant  senti- 
nels over  some  memorial  spot — now  the  green  foliage  of  some 
smaller  trees — then  the  wall  of  the  garden,  and  the  fort-like  in- 
closure — and  now  the  entire  convent  of  St.  Catharine,  with  all 
its  appendages,  was  full  in  view,  resting  in  cheerfulness  and 
beauty  upon  the  eastern  base  of  Sinai.  It  was  an  animating 
sight.  Here  was  an  oasis  in  the  desert — an  abode  of  civiliza- 
tion— the  Mount  of  God.  Here  the  end  of  our  journeyings; 
and  here,  after  so  many  dayg  of  weary  travel,  we  were  to  find 
rest  and  refreshment.    More  than  all,  here  we  were  to  visit  the 


286 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


place  where  Moses  lived;  where  he  led  his  flocks;  where  he 
saw  the  burning  bush ;  where  he  received  his  Divine  commis- 
sion to  return  to  the  court  of  Pharaoh  and  demand  the  release 
of  God's  captive  people. 

Between  12  and  1  o'clock  we  pitched  our  tents  close  at  the 
foot  of  Eas  Safsafah,  the  Mount  Horeb  of  the  monks,  and  about 
ten  minutes'  walk  from  the  convent.  A  few  rods  from  us,  flow- 
ing directly  from  a  crevice  in  the  granite  rock  of  the  mountain, 
was  a  copious  stream  of  pure  sweet  water.  How  refreshing, 
after  the  stale  water  we  had  so  long  drank !  for  up  to  this  time, 
aside  from  the  stream  in  Wacly  Feiran,  we  had  depended  upon 
the  supply  we  had  brought  from  the  Mle,  and  that  was  now 
nine  days  old.  Our  camp  matters  settled,  and  dinner  dis- 
patched, the  first  thing  in  our  arrangements  was  to  make 

A   VISIT    TO   THE  CONVENT 

We  hastily  arranged  our  toilet — and  in  this  we  had  no  great 
preparation  to  make  —  and  with  our  letters  of  introduction  we 
stood  under  the  walls  of  the  convent  of  St.  Catharine.  These 
we  found  to  be  quite  formidable,  towering  some  thirty  feet 
above  our  head.  Of  this  convent,  and  the  summit  of  Sinai 
rising  bold  and  ragged  behind  it,  the  accompanying  engraving 
presents  one  of  the  most  accurate  views  I  have  seen.  The  con- 
vent is  an  irregular  quadrangular  building,  two  hundred  and 
forty-five  feet  by  two  hundred  and  four  feet.  It  is  surrounded 
by  thick  and  lofty  walls.  These  are  built  mostly  of  granite, 
but  they  have  been  patched  here  and  there  with  various  kinds 
of  materials,  representing  various  ages  and  stages  of  its  his- 
tory. Little  towers  were  built  upon  the  walls,  and  occasionally, 
looking  out  from  a  port-hole,  was  seen  the  rusty  end  of  a  small, 
antique-looking  gun,  that,  from  appearance,  might  date  anterior 
to  the  crusades.  From  the  bottom  of  a  roofed  projection  in 
the  wall,  more  than  twenty  feet  above  our  heads,  in  answer  to 
our  call,  a  trap  door  was  opened  upwards ;  two  great  ropes, 
with  hooks  attached  to  the  ends,  were  let  down  by  a  windlass, 
with  a  request  to  "send  up  our  letters-"  We  attached  our 
letters  from  the  head  convent  at  Cairo,  and  they  were  drawn 
up.    After  waiting  about  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  during 


CONVENT    OF    ST.    CATHARINE.  289 

which  time  quite  a  company  of  Bedawin  children  and  men  had 
gathered  around  us,  a  door  was  opened  in  the  wall  of  the  yard, 
and  a  messenger  appeared  to  escort  us  in.  Until  quite  recently, 
visitors  were  drawn  up  through  the  trap  door.  This  was  wheo. 
the  country  about  was  hostile.  The  friendly  terms  on  which 
the  monks  now  live  with  the  Arabs,  allows  them  to  abate  much 
of  the  vigilance  and  defensive  attitude  heretofore  maintained. 

We  were  taken  into  an  open  inclosure,  between  the  convent 
and  the  garden,  then  through  an  intricate  winding  passage  into 
the  convent  itself.  After  ascending  two  or  three  pairs  of  stairs 
to  an  upper  tier  of  rooms,  we  were  invited  into  an  apartment, 
with  large  broad  divans  arranged  round  the  sides  in  true  ori- 
ental style,  and  invited  to  a  seat.  Here  an  official  of  the  insti- 
tution met  us,  and  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome.  Our  dragoman 
acting  as  interpreter,  we  carried  on  our  conversation  in  Arabic. 
We  had  been  seated  but  a  few  minutes  when  a  servant  came  in, 
with  water  and  arrack.  Soon  after  a  large  plate  of  pressed 
dates  was  brought  in,  and  w^e  were  invited  to  partake. 

We  found  in  the  convent  about  twenty -five  monks  —  the 
usual  number  maintained  here  of  late  years.  I  was  not  very 
favorably  impressed  either  with  their  intelligence  or  usefulness. 
Devotion  they  may  have,  but  most  of  them  appeared  like  a 
dull,  stupid  class  of  men.  What  else  could  we  expect  from  the 
circumstances  in  which  they  live? — nothing  to  excite  activity  or 
arouse  the  energies  of  their  minds.  I  find  in  Robinson  the 
following  quotation  from  one  who  describes  their  mode  of  life 
five  hundred  years  ago:  "  They  follow  very  strict  rules;  live 
chastely  and  moderately ;  are  obedient  to  their  archbishop  and 
prelates ;  drink  not  wine  but  on  high  festivals ;  eat  never  fiesh, 
but  live  on  herbs,  peas,  and  lentils,  which  they  prepare  with 
water,  salt  and  vinegar ;  eat  together  in  a  refectory,  without  a 
table  cloth ;  perform  their  offices  in  the  church  with  great  de- 
votion day  and  night;  and  are  very  diligent  in  all  things;  so 
that  they  fall  little  short  of  the  rules  of  St.  Anthony."  Their 
rules  of  life  probably  continue  about  the  same.  They  are 
temperate  in  their  habits,  and  devote  much  time  to  religious 
duties.  It  is  said  they  usually  have  the  ordinary  prayers  of  the 
Greek  ritual  seven  times  a  day. 


290 


EGYPT    AN'D  SIJNAI. 


Pilgrimages  are  still  made  by  religious  devotees  to  the  con- 
vent, but  the  number  of  late  years  has  greatly  declined.  In 
the  early  ages  of  the  Christian  church,  of  which  we  have 
before  spoken,  when  monasticism  and  pilgrimages  were  reckon- 
ed among  the  most  acceptable  acts  of  devotion,  large  numbers 
flocked  to  this  desert,  and  to  the  holy  mount.  It  is  said  that  in 
1398,  besides  this  convent,  there  were  six  others  existing  in 
different  parts  of  the  peninsula,  besides  a  number  of  chapels 
and  hermitages.  They  have  also  here  a  tradition,  that  at  the 
time  of  the  Mohammedan  conquest,  six  to  seven  thousand 
monks  and  hermits  were  scattered  among  these  mountains. 
It  is  not  a  hundred  years  since  large  •  caravans  of  pilgrims 
passed  this  way.  It  is  said  that  a  document  preserved  in  the 
convent,  mentions  the  arrival  in  one  day  of  eight  hundred 
Armenians  from  Jerusalem ;  and  at  another  time  of  five  hun- 
dred Copts  from  Cairo.  We  found  in  the  convent  about  thirty 
Russian  pilgrims,  who  had  come  in  from  Cairo.  They  had 
been  in  the  convent  about  two  weeks,  and  were  expecting  to 
leave  in  a  day  or  two.  Comparatively  few  pilgrims  now  find 
their  way  to  this  desert  shrine.  "We  were  invited  to  remain 
and  live  in  the  convent  during  our  stay  at  the  mount;  but 
for  several  reasons  we  preferred  remaining  in  our  tents. 
Having  two  or  three  hours  to  spend,  we  proposed  to  improve 
it  by  taking  a  walk  about  the  convent,  and  one  of  the  monks 
was  deputed  to  act  as  our  guide. 

THE   HISTORY   OF   THE  CONVENT! 

This  convent  is  an  ancient  one ;  so  much  so  that  much  ob- 
scurity rests  upon  its  early  history.  That  the  Mount  of  God 
and  the  place  of  the  burning  bush  should  have  been  early 
selected  and  placed  among  the  sacred  localities,  might  be  ex- 
pected. "We  may,  therefore,  look  for  the  founding  of  this  con- 
vent among  the  earliest  of  this  class  of  institutions.  It  is 
impossible  now  to  tell  when  Christians  first  penetrated  these 
unfrequented  and  inhospitable  regions.  Very  soon  after  the 
crucifixion  of  the  Savior,  and  when  converts  began  to  multi- 
ply, fierce  persecutions  arose,  and  believers  sought  every  possible 
refuge  to  escape  impending  death.  Sinai  had  undoubtedly  been 


CONVENT    OF   ST.    CATHARINE.  291 


kept  alive  in  the  memory  of  the  Jews.  It  had  been  a  refuge 
for  Elijah,  fleeing  from  the  persecutions  of  treacherous  Ahab, 
and  the  more  vindictive  Jezebel ;  and  it  might  now  again  have 
become  an  asylum  of  refuge  for  the  followers  of  the  cross. 
Paul,  after  his  conversion,  spent  several  years  in  retirement. 
He  tells  us  he  went  into  Arabia,  and  the  forcible  illustration  he 
uses  to  the  Galatians,  in  which  he  speaks  of  Hagar  and  Mount 
Sinai,  has  given  rise  to  the  idea  that  he  had  taken  lessons  in 
theology  among  the  dells  and  mountain  scenery  where  Moses 
led  his  flocks. 

It  is  well  known  that  these  mountain  regions  swarmed  with 
Christian  devotees  before  any  convent  walls  were  erected  for 
their  defense.  These  solitary  exiles  were  drawn  together  by 
the  necessities  of  their  position,  and  regular  communities  were 
organized.  In  A.  D.  373,  the  monks  here  were  almost  exter- 
minated by  the  Arabs.  Common  wants  and  common  dangers 
led  to  the  adoption  of  common  means  of  support  and  defense, 
and  monasteries  were  one  of  the  natural  results. 

Of  the  founding  of  this  convent,  Stanley  says :  "  No  Arab, 
or  Egyptian,  or  Syrian  patriarch  erected  that  massive  pile ;  no 
pilgrim  princess — no  ascetic  king.  A  Byzantine  emperor,  the 
most  wordly  of  his  race,  the  great  legislator,  Justinian,  was  its 
founder.  The  fame  of  his  architectural  magnificence,  which 
has  left  its  monuments  in  the  most  splendid  churches  of  Con- 
stantinople and  Ravenna,  had  penetrated  even  to  the  hermits 
of  Mount  Sinai.  And  they,  when  they  heard  that  he  delighted 
to  build  churches  and  found  convents,  made  a  journey  to  him, 
and  complained  how  the  wandering  sons  of  Ishmael  were  wont 
to  attack  them  suddenly,  eat  up  their  provisions,  desolate  the 
place,  enter  the  cells  and  carry  off  every  thing  —  how  they  also 
broke  into  the  church  and  devoured  even  the  holy  wafers." 
The  particular  spot  upon  which  the  convent  was  to  be  placed, 
had  been  marked  out  by  another  person, 

THE   RENOWNED  HELENA. 

She  was  the  mother  of  Constantine,  and  in  the  latter  part  of 
her  life  a  religious  devotee  of  the  strictest  kind.  Her  devotion, 
however,  assumed  an  active  form.    Instead  of  shutting  herself 


292 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


up  in  monastic  seclusion,  with  a  superstitious  zeal,  commend- 
able for  its  energy  and  activity,  but  reprehensible,  perhaps,  from 
its  fanaticism  and  credulity,  she  devoted  herself  to  the  discovery 
of  holy  sites,  and  the  erection  upon  them  of  monuments  and 
churches.  Soon  after  A.  D.  300,  at  the  advanced  age  of  nearly 
fourscore  years,  but  with  the  elastic  spirit  and  vigor  of  youth, 
she  made  a  journey  to  Palestine,  founded  the  Church  of  the 
Nativity  at  Bethlehem,  another  upon  the  Mount  of  Ascension, 
and  made  at  Calvary,  as  many  affect  to  believe,  the  discovery 
of  the  true  cross !  In  her  pilgrimages,  Sinai  was  not  forgotten. 
Hither  she  bent  her  steps,  and  near  the  well  of  Jethro  dis- 
covered the  actual  spot  upon  which  the  burning  bush  stood ! 
and  upon  that  spot  erected  a  memorial  tower.  The  spot  thus 
previously  selected  and  honored,  was  chosen  by  Justinian  as  an 
appropriate  place  for  a  Christian  refuge  and  fortress.  Around 
this  little  church  or  tower  of  Helena  clustered  the  buildings 
of  the  convent.  The  lapse  of  time  has  wrought  great  changes 
in  the  interior.  Once,  it  is  said,  there  were  thirty-six  chapels, 
each  devoted  to  the  worship  of  a  separate  sect.  Now  the 
Greek  ritual  only  is  chanted  here. 

Thus  we  see  we  are  within  the  precincts  of  an  ancient,  and, 
to  many,  a  sacred  structure,  which  has  long  been  a  Christian 
sanctuary  and  refuge.  The  wild  sons  of  Ishmael  have  hunted 
upon  these  mountains  the  devotees  of  the  Savior.  The  re- 
ception of  Mohammedanism  by  these  wandering  tribes,  did  not 
in  the  least  abate  their  hostility  toward  the  children  of  the 
cross.  Again  and  again  these  very  walls  have  been  besieged 
by  these  untamed  and  merciless  devotees  of  the  Prophet,  who 
made  the  crescent  under  which  they  fought  an  apology  for  the 
most  barbarous  and  bloodthirsty  massacres.  Thanks  to  the 
milder  reign  of  justice  and  religious  toleration,  for  the  peace 
and  security  now  enjoyed.  The  increasing  influence  of  these, 
among  both  the  followers  of  the  crescent  and  the  cross,  have 
become  a  stronger  safeguard  than  towering  walls  and  all  the 
dread  artillery  of  war. 

The  religious  consequence  and  importance  of  the  convent 
have  long  since  passed  away.  It  is  still,  however,  a  great  con- 
venience to  visitors  at  Sinai,  for  the  supplies  they  afford  to 


A    SANCTUARY   IN    THE    DE3EKT.  295 

travelers,  the  guides  they  furnish  for  mountain  excursions,  and 
the  protection  they  are  able  to  render  in  cases  of  necessity.  It 
is  truly  refreshing  to  the  weary  traveler  to  find  such  a  retreat 
in  the  midst  of  such  barrenness  and  desolation.  After  so  many 
long  days  of  weary  travel,  scarcely  meeting  a  human  being, 
and  then  no  one  that  can  speak  your  language,  or  sympathize 
with  you  in  your  devotions,  you  are  prepared,  from  the  con- 
trast, to  receive  a  deeper  and  more  favorable  impression  in  your 
visit  to  this  lone  sanctuary  of  the  mountains.  You  look  with 
delight  upon  that  garden,  not  of  palm,  acacia  and  tamarisk, 
but  of  the  olive,  the  almond,  the  apple,  the  cypress  and  poplar. 
You  hear  with  delight,  not  the  shrill  call  of  the  muzzein,  but 
the  deep-toned  bell,  in  accents  of  music,  inviting  to  Christian 
prayer. 

THE   INTERIOR    OF    THE  CONVENT. 

Of  the  architecture  of  the  interior,  the  annexed  picture  will 
give  you  some  idea,  better,  perhaps,  than  could  be  conveyed  by 
words.  You  need  not  look  for  the  neatness  and  the  beauty  of 
our  modem  homes,  but  coarse  stone  walls,  rough  coats  of 
plaster,  long,  unhewn  palm  trunks  for  joists,  and  crumbling 
stucco,  on  layers  of  reeds,  for  roofs;  and,  if  you  are  at  all  sensi- 
tive, prepare  yourself  for  the  harrassing  assaults  of  those 
stealthy  little  hopping  intruders,  whose  acquaintance  you  will 
be  compelled  to  make,  for  the  convent  is  as  full  of  them  as  a 
Bedawin's  cassock.  Small  as  the  place  inclosed  is,  it  is  so  cut 
up  into  courts,  chapels,  narrow  avenues,  and  apartments  of 
various  kinds,  that  a  stranger  easily  gets  lost  amid  its  dark  and 
intricate  passages.  Before  you  descend  to  the  court  below,  step 
into  this  room  and  see  the  Convent  Library. 

Here  are  ancient  tomes  of  Arabic,  Greek  and'Latin — printed 
Greek,  1,500  volumes;  Arabic  manuscripts,  according  to  Burck- 
hart,  700.  These  are  said  to  contain  lives  of  saints,  rituals  aud 
other  matter  of  but  little  consequence.  Two  works  only,  in 
this  place,  specially  arrest  the  traveler's  attention,  and  are  con- 
sidered worthy  of  a  place  in  his  note  book.  One  is  a  curious 
copy  of  the  Psalter  in  Greek,  written  by  a  female,  on  twelve 
pages,  each  Pess  than  the  size  of  one  of  the  pages  of  this  book. 


296 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


The  handwriting  is  very  neat,  but  so  exceedingly  fine  and  deli- 
cate that  it  cannot  be  read  without  the  aid  of  a  powerful  mag- 
nifying glass.  The  other  is  a  beautiful  manuscript  copy  of  the 
four  gospels,  written  on  a  superior  article  of  vellum,  in  double 
columns,  and  in  letters  of  gold.  It  is  ornamented  with  illumi- 
nated portraits  of  the  apostles.  The  amount  of  time  bestowed 
upon  some  of  these  ancient  manuscripts  must  have  been  enor- 
mous ;  but  what  else  had  these  secluded  monks  to  do?  Recent 
researches  among  the  moldering  tomes  of  these  ancient  mo- 
nasteries, are  bringing  to  light  some  valuable  contributions  to 
the  literature  of  early  times.  Descending  from  the  upper 
rooms  to  the  court  below,  we  are  taken  to 

THE    WELL    OF  MOSES. 

This  spring  is  pointed  out  as  the  place  where  Moses  drew 
water  for  the  flocks  of  Jethro,  and  a  little  up  the  valley  to  the 
left  is  a  round-topped  hill,  which  tradition  has  fixed  upon  as 
the  site  of  Jethro's  house.  There  is  of  course  nothing  improb- 
able in  the  story  that  makes  this  the  scene  of  that  interesting 
episode  in  the  life  of  Moses  that  resulted  in  his  introduction 
into  the  family  of  J ethro.  He  fled  from  Egypt  and  dwrelt  in 
the  land  of  Midian.  The  seven  daughters  of  the  priest  of 
Midi  an  came  to  draw  water  for  their  flocks,  and  the  shepherds 
came  and  drove  them  away.  But  Moses  took  their  part  and 
helped  them.  When  this  came  to  the  ears  of  their  father,  he 
was  invited  to  their  home,  and  was  content  to  dwell  with  them, 
and  Zipporah,  one  of  these  daughters,  became  his  wife.  If  this 
was  indeed  the  place,  how  interesting  the  events  connected  with 
it !  Tt  was  a  great  descent  from  the  luxurious  court  of  Pha- 
raoh to  the  humble  home  and  servile  life  of  the  desert.  But 
"he  was  content"  to  dwell  here.  He  was  in  the  path  of  duty; 
and  the  path  of  duty,  however  far  down  into  the  vale  of  humil- 
iation it  may  lead,  is  the  sure  path  to  promotion.  He  made 
himself  useful  in  the  first  things  that  came  to  hand,  and  God 
soon  gave  him  greater  work  to  do.  He  was  faithful  in  small 
things,  and  God  soon  committed  great  trusts  to  his  care.  An 
humble  calling  and  employment  in  menial  duties  is  no  disgrace. 
The  shepherd  watching  his  flocks  is  as  much  under  the  eye  of 


VISIT    TO    THE  CONVENT. 


297 


Jehovah  as  the  king  on  his  throne.  From  the  lowly  occupa- 
tions of  life  Christ  chose  his  disciples,  and  from  such  occupa- 
tions many  a  one  has  been  raised  up  to  sit  with  kings  and 
princes,  and  occupy  places  of  the  highest  honor  and  authority ; 
and  even  if  such  rewards  are  not  bestowed  in  this  life,  there 
are  crowns,  and  honor,  and  glory,  for  every  faithful  one,  how- 
ever lowly,  in  the  life  to  come.  The  monks  keep  a  cup  chained 
to  the  fountain,  and  taking  a  drink  from  its  waters,  we  passed 
on  and  entered 

THE    CHURCH    OF    THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

This  is  a  curious  and  interesting  place.  It  is  hung  with  nu- 
merous pictures  —  representations  of  scripture  scenes,  apostles, 
saints  and  martyrs  —  and  some  portions  of  it  furnished  in  a 
costly  and  curious  manner.  The  floor  is  a  beautiful  specimen 
of  tesselated  marble  pavement,  while  the  altar,  screens,  and 
other  fixtures  are  beautifully  embellished  with  gold.  The 
vaulted  roof  of  the  chancel,  finished  with  costly  and  elaborate 
mosaic  work,  is  the  crowning  beauty  of  the  whole.  The 
central  part  of  this  is  a  rich  mosaic,  representing  the  transfigur- 
ation. The  figure  of  Christ  occupies  the  centre.  Moses  stands 
upon  the  right,  and  Elijah  upon  the  left.  The  three  apostles 
are  beneath,  Peter  prostrate  upon  the  ground.  A  large  border 
encircles  the  whole.  In  this  are  wrought  numerous  busts  of 
apostles,  martyrs  and  saints,  in  oval  tablets.  There  is  a  Greek 
inscription  around  the  lower  part  of  the  great  picture,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  translation  : 

"In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 

Ghost : 

"The  whole  of  this  work  was  executed  for  the  salvation  of  those 
who  have  contributed  to  it  by  their  donations,  under  Longinus, 
the  most  holy  priest  and  prior." 

Behind  the  altar,  standing  upon  an  elevated  platform,  is  a 
small  marble  sarcophagus.  In  this  are  deposited  the  remains 
of  the  revered 

ST.  CATHARINE. 

Several  fabulous  legends  have  been  interwoven  with  the  his- 
tory of  her  life  and  death.    She  died  at  Alexandria,  and  her 


298 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


lifeless  body,  as  the  romance  informs  us,  was  taken  by  angels, 
conveyed  to  the  Sinai  desert,  and  deposited  upon  the  top  of  the 
highest  peak  in  the  peninsula.  To  this  peak  her  name  has 
been  attached,  and  Jebel  Catharine,  or  Mount  Catharine,  is 
prominent  among  the  noted  places  of  this  vicinity.  It  is  often 
ascended  by  travelers  for  the  commanding  view  that  can  be 
obtained  from  its  summit  over  nearly  the  whole  of  the  penin- 
sula. A  rock  upon  the  top  of  this  mountain  has  been  molded, 
by  some  freak  of  nature,  into  the  form  of  a  human  body.  The 
trunk  is  headless,  and  the  arms  appear  swathed  and  pinioned 
like  those  of  a  mummy.  With  Jthis  singular  rock  the  monks 
have  associated  the  name  and  story  of  the  spirit-wafted  body 
of  Catharine ;  and  here,  they  tell  us,  the  form  first  rested  after 
its  singular  serial  flight.  The  bones  of  the  real  body,  as  the 
legend  goes  on  to  inform  us,  were  taken  by  these  mountain 
anchorites  and  conveyed  to  Mount  Sinai,  and  she  became  the 
patron  saint  of  the  convent,  and  from  her  it  received  its  name. 
The  marble  chest  in  which  the  remains  repose  is  kept  securely 
locked,  and  it  is  said  that  only  the  skull  and  one  hand  remain. 
These  are  richly  set  in  gold.  From  the  Church  of  the  Trans- 
figuration a  few  steps  brought  us  into 

THE    CHAPEL   OP   THE   BURNING  BUSH. 

This  owes  its  location  to  the  keen-sigh tedness  of  St.  Helena 
in  discovering  sacred  localities.  By  what  holy  instincts  the 
precise  spot  was  so  accurately  determined  we  are  not  informed. 
"We  were  not  conscious  of  being  so  near  holy  ground,  when 
our  guide  motioned  to  us  to  take  off  our  shoes,  setting  us  an 
example  by  laying  his  own  aside.  The  entrance  to  the  chapel 
is  from  the  rear  of  the  altar  of  the  Church  of  the  Transfigura- 
tion. The  votive  offerings  of  pious  pilgrims  are  numerous,  and 
a  number  of  rich  lamps  are  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  in  two 
or  three  of  which  a  faint  light  is  kept  continually  burning. 
We  followed  our  guide  to  a  little  recess  in  the  farther  end  of 
the  chapel.  A  small  spot,  about  three  feet  one  way  and  two 
the  other,  was  covered  by  a  kind  of  altar  and  overhung  with 
richly  wrought  tapestry.  The  space  beneath  was  overlaid  with 
plates  of  burnished  silver,  and  the  floor  about  spread  with  cost- 


A    CONSECRATED  SPOT. 


299 


ly  pieces  of  carpet.  Our  monk  fell  upon  his  knees  and  rever- 
ently kissed  the  place.  "  This,"  he  said,  "  is  the  identical  spot 
where  stood  the  burning  bush."  Of  course  we  could  have  but 
little  confidence  in  the  story  that  had  thus  definitely  located  the 
place ;  but  whether  this  was  the  exact  place  or  not,  the  great 
fact  remains  unchanged,  the  burning  bush  is  one  of  the  great 
miracles  and  mysteries  of  God's  communion  with  men.  We 
realized  this  now  as  never  before,  for  if  not  on  this  very  spot,  it 
was  in  this  immediate  vicinity  the  great  wonder  was  seen.  My 
imagination  pictured  Moses,  in  the  obscurity  of  his  retirement, 
leading  his  flocks  about  the  mount,  and  patiently  waiting  in 
this  humble  calling  till  God  should  call  him  to  a  more  active 
and  honorable  position.  Here  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a 
flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  thorny  bush;  and,  behold! 
the  bush  burned  with  fire  and  was  not  consumed!  "And 
Moses  said,  I  will  turn  aside  and  see  this  great  sight."  In  the 
obscurity  and  solitude  of  these  mountain  dells,  Moses  was  learn- 
ing lessons  the  populous  city  and  the  splendors  of  the  court  of 
Pharaoh  could  never  teach;  and  from  here  he  received  his 
great  commission  to  act  as  the  deliverer  of  his  people.  From 
the  chapel  of  the  burning  bush  we  passed  to 

THE   MOSQUE   AND  GARDEN. 

The  incongruity  of  a  Mohammedan  mosque  in  a  Christian 
convent  may  need  explanation.  The  story  is  too  long  for  in- 
sertion here,  but  it  originated  in  an  order  from  Selim,  the  Otto- 
man emperor,  to  have  all  the  Christian  establishments  in  the 
peninsula  of  Sinai  destroyed.  The  priests  of  this  convent,  learn- 
ing that  preparations  were  being  made  in  Egypt  to  execute  this 
barbarous  decree,  immediately  went  to  work  and  built  a  mosque 
within  their  walls.  This  show  of  subserviency  to  the  reigning 
powers  and  the  followers  of  the  Prophet  saved  them,  and  the 
mosque  has  ever  since  remained.  Though  long  kept  in  repair, 
it  is  now  in  a  dirty,  dilapidated  condition ;  and  it  is  said  the  call 
to  prayer  is  never  heard  from  its  minaret,  unless  chance  or  ultra 
piety  brings  some  Mohammedan  dignitary  to  the  place. 

From  the  interior  of  the'  convent  we  were  taken  to  the  con- 
vent garden.    This  is  on  the  north  of  the  convent,  inclosed  by 


300 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


a  high  stone  wall,  and  is  reached  by  a  low  and  partly  subterrane- 
an passage,  strongly  secured  by  an  iron  door.  It  appears  to  best 
advantage,  from  the  fact  of  its  being  a  green  and  cultivated 
spot  in  the  midst  of  the  surrounding  sterility  and  desolation. 
Various  kinds  of  vegetables  and  several  kinds  of  fruit  trees  are 
cultivated  here.  The  beauty  of  spring  was  upon  the  spot — the 
trees  were  in  full  blossom,  filling  the  air  with  their  rich  fra- 
grance. Much  as  has  been  done  in  reclaiming  this  spot  from 
the  general  barrenness  of  the  desert;  much  more  might  be  done 
by  greater  industry  upon  the  part  of  the  monks.  I  saw  a  num- 
ber of  places  in  this  vicinity  where  there  were  large  patches  of 
soil  that  would  have  well  repaid  the  labor  of  cultivation,  could 
the  hand  of  industry  have  been  laid  upon  them. 

Our  guide  called  our  attention  to  a  certain  bush  growing  in 
the  garden,  and  on  inquiry,  we  were  assured  it  was  the  identical 
kind  of  bush  from  which  Moses  cut  his  rod !  It  grew  to  the 
hight  of  about  twenty  feet,  throwing  up  numerous  smooth 
branches  or  stalks  from  the  bottom,  like  our  elder  bush.  Ob- 
serving one  of  these  branches  broken  at  the  root2  I  inquired  of 
my  guide  if  I  could  be  allowed  to  cut  a  walking  stick  from  it. 
To  this  he  assented,  and  I  took  a  piece  of  it  home  with  me,  as 
a  sort  of  sacred  relic,  but  not,  however,  with  any  expectation 
of  being  able  to  work  miracles  with  it.  But  what  most  im- 
pressed us  among  all  these  novel  sights,  was 

THE    CHARNEL  HOUSE. 

This  is  a  partly  subterranean  chamber  in  the  hill-side,  located 
in  the  very  midst  of  this  verdant  area.  The  bloom  and  beauty 
of  life  above,  the  chill  damps  and  repulsive  odors  and  wasting 
decay  of  death  beneath.  Some  lights,  a  dish  of  coals,  and  a 
handful  of  incense  to  destroy  the  unpleasant  effluvia  having 
been  procured,  bent  nearly  double,  we  followed  our  conductor 
through  the  low,  dark,  vaulted  passage.  Soon  we  emerged 
into  an  open  chamber,  and  the  flickering  lights  of  our  tapers 
revealed  the  purpose  to  which  these  gloomy  recesses  had  been 
devoted.  This  was  the  cemetery  of  the  convent.  Here  was 
the  sepulchral  home  of  those  whom  death  was  constantly  gath- 
ering unto  himself  from  the  convent  above.    It  was  literally  a 


A    DESCENT    INTO    THE  TOMB. 


301 


place  of  skulls  and  human  bones.  We  were  astonished  not 
only  at  the  manner  in  which  they  were  kept,  but  at  the  vast 
number,  which,  for  generations  and  centuries,  had  been  accumu- 
lating here.  The  bodies,  after  death,  are  left  in  some  exposed  j 
condition,  until  the  flesh  has  wasted  away ;  and  then  the  bones, 
without  winding  sheet,  pall  or  coffin,  are  stowed  away  in  this 
lone  tenement  of  the  dead. 

Of  these  rooms  there  are  two  of  about  equal  size,  connected 
by  a  low  doorway.  In  each  of  these  rooms  you  first  see  a  huge 
pile  of  skulls,  heaped  together  upon  the  ground  without  any 
reference  to  order,  mingled  with  dirt  and  rubbish,  and  covered 
with  the  gray,  furzy  mold  of  ages.  The  balance  of  the  skele- 
ton, legs,  arms  and  ribs,  are  then  doubled  together,  so  as  to 
secure  the  greatest  compactness  and  economy  of  space,  and 
piled  up,  one  upon  another,  and  layer  behind  layer,  from  floor 
to  roof,  as  a  farmer  would  cord  his  wood.  Thus  they  lie,  heaps 
on  heaps,  priests,  deacons  and  lay  brethren ;  friar,  cenobite  and 
anchorite,  mingled  together  in  one  indiscriminate  mass — men 
of  all  ages,  from  the  early  days  of  fierce  persecution,  to  him 
who  died  in  these  more  peaceful  times  of  religious  toleration. 

Some  of  the  more  sanctified  ones  are  honored  with  a  box,  or 
small  chest,  in  which  their  bones  are  stowed,  and  some  have 
special  prominence  given  them  upon  some  niche  or  elevation. 
The  bones  of  others  are  tumbled  promiscuously  into  a  basket, 
and  some  are  suspended  by  cords  from  the  roof.  Among  these 
are  found  a  few  church  dignitaries,  perhaps  some  pilgrim  of 
wealth  and  distinction,  and  the  relics  of  a  few,  who  had  gained 
superior  merit  by  their  fastings,  penances,  privations  and  ex- 
posures in  their  miserable  mountain  cells.  In  one  corner, 
perched  upon  a  pedestal,  was  a  skeleton,  in  a  sitting  posture, 
bone  settled  into  bone,  an  old  silk  cape,  of  rich  material  and 
beautifully  worked,  thrown  carelessly  about  the  shoulders,  and 
a  monk's  cap  on  the  head.  His  long,  naked  teeth  grinned  hor- 
ribly from  beneath  his  strange  head-dress,  and  the  whole  aspect 
was  so  ghastly  as  to  chill  one's  blood.  The  story  of  this  strange 
figure  was  told  us  by  the  monk.  His  self-denial,  fastings,  and 
unusual  acts  of  devotion,  had  excited  the  admiration  of  some 
European  princess,  and  the  cap  and  cloak  had  been  bestowed 


302 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


by  her  upon  the  remains  as  a  token  of  high  regard.  In  a  smali 
box,  about  two  feet  long  and  eighteen  inches  broad,  were  shown 
us  the  skeleton  remains  of  two  brothers.  It  is  said  they  were 
♦  of  noble  birth,  sons  of  a  Persian  prince ;  they  came  to  this  de- 
sert to  end  their  days  in  religious  seclusion.  Actuated  by  a 
strange  fanatical  zeal,  they  bound  themselves  together  by  a 
heavy  iron  chain.  Thus  linked  together  by  ties  of  kindred,  by 
religious  vows,  and  the  sterner  outward  bond  of  iron  links  and 
rivets,  they  wore  away  the  weary  days  of  a  life  of  self-inflicted 
torture.  Thus  linked  together,  they  faced  the  terrific  frown  of 
death,  and  together  died.  And  now  the  ghastly  skeletons  of 
the  two  claim  brotherhood  in  death;  and  with  the  links  of 
that  same  chain  still  unbroken,  those  bones  are  tumbled  to- 
gether into  this  common  receptacle.  Of  the  number  of  these 
skeleton  inhabitants,  I  could  form  no  conjecture,  but  Stevens, 
who  was  here  in  1835,  says  the  superior  of  the  convent  told 
him  there  were  more  than  thirty  thousand !  There  was  some- 
thing shocking  in  this  promiscuous  mingling  together  of  hu- 
man bones;  the  air  was  close  and  suffocating,  and  the  offensive 
effluvia  prevailed  even  over  the  clouds  of  incense  that  rose  from 
our  pan  of  coals.  We  were  glad  to  turn  our  backs  upon  the 
nauseating  place,  and  once  more  breathe  the  pure  and  fragrant 
air  of  the  garden  above.  It  was  now  near  night,  and  having 
finished  our  rambles  about  the  convent  and  grounds,  we  made 
arrangements  for  guides  to  ascend  the  mountain  with  us  to- 
morrow ;  and  leaving  a  backsheesh  to  the  monk,  who  had  so 
kindly  attended  us  over  the  premises,  we  bade  them  good-night 
and  returned  to  our  tent. 

A   ROW   WITH   OUR  SHEIK. 

As  we  were  to  remain  two  or  three  days  at  the  mount,  our 
sheik  and  camel  drivers  were  to  improve  the  time  by  making  a 
visit  to  their  homes,  or  among  other  members  of  the  tribe.  In 
settling  for  the  services  performed,  a  violent  altercation  took 
place  between  our  dragoman  and  the  sheik.  It  was  only  a  war 
of  words,  but  it  was  carried  on  with  such  angry  tone  and  vehe- 
mence of  gesticulation,  it  seemed  to  me  it  must  terminate  in 
violence  and  blood.    In  appearance,  it  was  truly  terrific.  The 


A    DESERT  QUARREL. 


303 


storm,  however,  seemed  at  last  to  abate  from  the  mere  exhaus- 
tion of  power  in  the  parties;  the  dissatisfied  sheik  sulkily  with- 
drew with  his  animals  and  men,  declaring  he  would  render  us 
no  more  assistance  if  we  died  in  the  desert,  and  Mohammed  as 
positively  declaring  that  he  would  have  nothing  more  to  do 
with  him,  and  that  neither  he  nor  one  of  his  men  or  camels 
should  render  any  assistance  in  returning  us  to  Cairo. 

As  the  contest  was  carried  on  in  Arabic,  I  could  get  no  clue 
to  it.  As  soon  as  the  camp  was  clear  and  quiet  restored,  "  Mo- 
hammed," said  I,  "what  is  the  fuss?"  In  answer  to  this  ques-  • 
tion,  he  very  seriously  informed  me  that  he  had  lost  from  his 
commissary  department  a  tin  pan,  and  believing  that  some  of 
the  sheik's  attendants  had  stolen  it,  he  made  him  responsible  for 
its  recovery,  and,  on  settlement,  had  deducted  its  value,  fifteen 
piasters,  from  his  wages.  The  sheik  was  highly  indignant  at 
the  insinuation  against  his  honesty,  and  more  enraged  at  the 
loss  of  even  so  small  a  portion  of  his  wages.  "And  how  do  you 
expect  to  get  back  to  Cairo?"  said  I.  "  You  no  need  trouble 
yourself  about  that,"  said  he ;  "  that's  my  business.  I  am  bound 
to  do  that.  There  are  other  men  and  other  camels  here  besides 
his."  So  the  matter  rested.  But  I  had  seen  enough  of  Arabic 
quarrels  to  know  how  it  would  terminate.  I  will  be  bound  he 
and  his  camels  and  men  will  be  on  hand  Wednesday  morning, 
ready  to  return  with  us.  See  if  they  ace  not.  And  now  we 
have  a  couple  of  hours  before  retiring  to  rest,  let  us  improve 
them  by  studying 

THE   TOPOGRAPHY   OP   THE  MOUNTAIN 

And  the  valleys  about  it,  that  we  may  be  better  prepared  to 
understand  the  localities  we  are  about  to  visk,  and  the  astonish- 
ing events  that  have  transpired  here.  To  aid  in  this,  we  will 
draw  a  diagram  of  the  place,  as  seen  on  the  following  page. 
To  this  diagram  we  now  invite  your  attention : 

No.  1  and  the  arrow  represent  the  Yalley  of  Rahah  and  our 
approach  to  the  mountain.  In  this  approach  we  were  traveling 
in  nearly  a  southeast  direction,  the  bold  granite  front  of  the 
mountain  rising  up  before  us  almost  perpendicularly  from  the 
plain  to  the  hight  of  near  two  thousand  feet.    No.  2  is  the  same 


304 


EGYPT  A  IS  D  SINAI. 


valley  widening  out  into  a  broad  plain,  the  Plain  of  Kahah,  or 
" Plain  of  Rest,"  some  call  it;  others,  the  "Inclosed  Plain,"  for 
great  mountains  rise  up  all  around  you,  and  seem  to  completely 
encircle  you  with  their  bold  ridges  and  lofty  peaks.  The  plain 
widens  as  you  approach  Sinai.  There  is  a  gentle  ascent  as  you 
near  the  mountain,  until  you  come  within  about  one  mile  of  it, 


PLAN  OF  SINAI  AND  HOREB. 


1.  Wady  Kahah.  2.  Plain  of  Kahah.  3.  Wady  Sheik.  4.  Place  of  our  en- 
campment. 5.  Convent.  6.  Mold  of  Aaron's  calf.  7.  Smitten  Kock.  8.  Wady 
Leja.  9.  Wady  Shuayb.  10.  Wady  Sebayeh  and  hills.  11.  Sand  and  gravel 
hills.    12.  Mount  St.  Catharine.    13.  Low  hills. 

then  there  is  a  gentle  descent  towards  the  mountain.  This 
plain  is  about  one  mile  broad.  The  length,  of  course,  would 
vary  according  to  the  distance  the  person  was  disposed  to 
measure  back  into  the  valley,  where  it  narrows  into  a  ravine. 
Robinson  measured  the  southern  slope,  and  found  it  to  be  to 
the  base  of  Horeb  over  a  mile,  or,  accurately,  seven  thousand 
feet.    The  northern  slope  he  judged  to  be  somewhat  less  than 


THE    PLAIN"    OF  BEST. 


305 


a  mile.  I  have  no  disposition  to  criticise  or  attempt  to  correct 
the  measurements  or  the  judgment  of  one  who  has  written  so 
accurately  as  Robinson ;  but  as  I  looked  over  this  noble  plain,  I 
could  not  but  feel  that  if  he  had  erred,  it  was  in  underestimat- 
ing, rather  than  in  overrating,  its  size.  As  we  approached  the 
mountain,  from  where  a  turn  in  the  valley  first  brought  us  in 
full  view  of  Horeb,  we  rode  at  the  usual  camel  pace  over  an 
hour  before  we  reached  the  base  of  the  mountain. 

At  the  southwest  corner  of  this  plain,  you  will  see  it  again 
widens,  and  a  broad  space  extends  into  an  opening  among  the 
mountains  in  that  direction.  No.  3  and  the  arrow  pointing 
outward,  is  Wady  es  Sheik,  the  "  Valley  of  the  Sheik,"  or 
"  The  Valley  of  the  Saint,"  so  named  from  the  tomb  of  some 
noted  personage  among  the  Arabs,  whose  remains  have  found 
a  sepulchre  in  one  part  of  it.  The  Plain  of  Eahah  opens  also 
into  this  on  the  southeast,  furnishing  a  large  addition  to  its 
area  in  that  direction.  We  are  thus  particular  in  describing 
this  plain,  because  we  wish  to  fix  the  reader's  attention  particu- 
larly upon  it,  as  we  shall  have  occasion  to  allude  to  it  again. 
On  this  plain — who  can  doubt  it  who  visits  the  spot? — was  the 
grand  encampment  of  the  children  of  Israel.  From  this  plain 
was  witnessed  those  sublime  and  terrible  exhibitions,  that  made 
the  mountain  tremble,  and  the  people  draw  back  with  terror 
at  the  majesty  and  glory  of  the  presence  of  God.  Now  look 
at  the  peculiar 

SITUATION   OF    THE  MOUNTAIN. 

Opening  from  "Wady  es  Sheik  just  at  the  point  No.  4,  where 
we  pitched  our  tents,  and  running  along  up  to  No.  5,  where  the 
convent  is  located,  and  thence  along  No.  9,  is  another  narrow 
valley  along  the  whole  eastern  slope  of  Sinai  and  Horeb,  called 
Wady  Shuayb.  This  terminates  at  No.  10,  along  the  southeast- 
ern corner  of  the  cluster,  in  a  broader  valley,  called  Sebayeh ; 
from  this  a  valley  runs  round  the  whole  southern  base  towards 
No.  11.  There  is,  between  Sinai  and  the  high  mountains  lying 
south  of  it,  quite  an  open  space,  but  it  is  altogether  different 
from  the  plain  of  Rahah  upon  the  north.  It  is  uneven  and 
broken,  and  covered  by  naked  hills  of  sand  and  gravel.  Stev- 


306 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


ens,  who  visited  it  with  a  special  view  of  examining  its  fitness 
for  a  camping  place  for  the  Israelites,  says  of  it:  "It  is  rough, 
uneven  and  narrow."  He  concludes :  "  It  could  only  be  taken 
for  the  place  of  the  encampment,  if  none  other  existed."  The 
summit  of  Sinai  here  rises  in  a  commanding  form  above  it,  but 
as  the  mountain  descends  upon  the  plain  it  is  rolling  and  brok- 
en, and  mountain  and  plain  are  blended  into  each  other*. 

Again,  upon  the  western  side  of  Sinai  we  have  another  val- 
ley, No.  8,  called  Wady  Leja.  This  is  a  deep,  narrow  gorge, 
running  from  the  plain  of  Rahah  all  along  the  western  base  of 
Sinai  and  Horeb  to  the  very  northern  extremity,  separating  it 
from  St.  Catharine,  Um  Shomer  and  the  high  mountain  peaks 
upon  the  west. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  we  have  this  Mountain  of  the  Lord, 
noted  for  the  strange  and  interesting  events  connected  with  it, 
most  strikingly  and  singularly  located — completely  separated, 
as  it  were,  by  these  plains,  ravines  and  valleys,  from  the  great 
mountain  piles  that  encircle  it  on  every  side,  and  completely 
shut  it  in.  A  sanctuary  of  hills,  in'closed  within  the  mighty 
ramparts  that  the  everlasting  Jehovah,  with  the  skill  and  pow- 
er of  Omnipotence,  has  heaped  around  it. 

This  elevation  of  hills  we  have  thus  been  describing,  and 
which  we  have  found  so  peculiarly  situated,  at  the  base  is  about 
three  miles  long,  and  probably  from  a  mile  and  a  half  to  two 
miles  broad.  Its  highest  elevation  is,  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
seventy-five  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet ;  above  the  convent  in 
the  valley  at  its  base,  twenty-one  hundred  and  twelve  feet. 
Though  broken  into  many  wild  and  ragged  ravines  and  eleva- 
tions, it  rises  at  last  into  two  great  peaks — to  the  southern  one 
the  name  of  Sinai  has  been  more  particularly  attached,  to  the 
northern  one,  Horeb.  The  confusion  and  misunderstandings 
that  have  arisen  from  the  use  of  tfrese  terms,  will  make  appro- 
priate a  more  particular  allusion  to  the 

NAME    OF   THE  MOUNTAIN. 

The  first  allusion  we  have  to  the  place  is  in  Exodus  hi.  1.  In 
speaking  of  Moses,  we  are  informed  "  he  led  the  flock  to  the 
backside  of  the  desert,  and  came  to  the  Mountain  of  God,  even 


SINAI    AND  HOEEB. 


307 


to  Horeb."  Here  it  was  the  angel  of  God  appeared  to  him 
in  a  flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush.  After  this,  we 
have  frequent  allusions  to  it  under  the  same  name.  In  allusion 
to  the  making  of  the  golden  calf,  Israel  is  said  to  have  been 
"  stripped  of  their  ornaments  by  Mount  Horeb."  The  Lord  is 
said  to  have  "spoken  to  the  people  in  Horeb;"  and  in  Horeb 
he  made  his  covenant  with  his  people.  The  same  writer,  Mo- 
ses, who  uses  the  name  of  Horeb,  speaks  of  the  same  events  as 
occurring  at  Sinai.  Thus  he  speaks  of  the  "Lord's  coming 
unto  them  in  Sinai ; "  "  the  glory  of  the  Lord  abode  upon  Mount 
Sinai ; "  "  the  Lord  gave  Moses  at  Mount  Sinai  two  tables  of 
stone."  Nothing  is  plainer  than  that  Sinai  and  Horeb  were  two 
different  names  applied  to  the  same  locality.  Some  have  sup- 
posed that  Horeb  might  have  been  a  general  name  applied  to 
a  large  extent  of  country,  or  a  whole  range  of  mountains,  and 
Sinai  a  particular  locality  or  peak,  but  I  can  find  no  evidence 
even  of  that.  The  present  application  of  Sinai  to  one  peak, 
and  Horeb  to  another,  is  a  modern  appropriation  of  the  names, 
and  not  to  be  taken  into  the  account  in  determining  the  locali- 
ty of  particular  scriptural  events.  If  the  earlier  Christians  or 
modern  monks  chose  to  call  the  southern  peak  Sinai,  or  Jebel 
Mousa,  and  the  northern  peak  Horeb,  it  does  not  thence  follow 
that  Ave  must  fix  the  scene  of  the  giving  of  the  law  upon  their 
Sinai.  Nor  must  we  necessarily  infer,  as  Robinson  seems  to, 
that  because  the  peak  now  called  Sinai  does  not  overlook  the 
plain  of  Rahah,  where  the  children,  of  Israel  must  have  been 
encamped,  that  therefore  Moses  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  It 
is  by  no  means  certain,  that  even  the  monks,  in  fixing  the  name 
Sinai,  or  Jebel  Mousa — Mountain  of  Moses — upon  the  peak  that 
overlooks  their  convent,  meant  thereby  to  be  understood  that 
they  claimed  it  as  the  place  of  all  the  wonderful  phenomena 
that  accompanied  the  giving  of  the  law.  It  might  have  been 
the  part  of  the  mount  upon  which  the  burning  bush  was  seen, 
and  on  this  portion  of  it  Moses  might  have  had  some  of  his 
long  interviews  with  God ;  on  another  portion  of  it  he  might 
have  stood  to  receive  the  tables  of  the  law,  and  God  have 
shone  forth  from  the  cloud,  and  appeared  in  glory  in  the  pres- 
ence of  all  the  people. 
18 


308 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


Sinai  and  Horeb  are  all  one  mountain.  As  one  mountain, 
separated  from  all  about  them,  they  spring  up  from  the  plain. 
And  it  is  not  until  they  rise  as  one  more  than  a  thousand  feet, 
that  the  top  is  cleft  asunder,  and  the  two  separate  peaks  rise  in 
bold  and  solemn  grandeur,  the  one  perhaps  the  scene  of  Moses' 
retirement  and  communion  with  God,  the  other  the  consecrated 
spot  where  the  Almighty  stood  in  his  glory  and  majesty — the 
awe-inspiring  pulpit  from  which  he  proclaimed  his  law.  And 
when  he  touched  the  mount  and  his  glory  kindled  upon  it,  it 
was  not  one  solitary  peak  only  that  felt  his  presence,  but  the 
whole  mountain  was  in  a  blaze,  and  the  whole  mountain  trembled 
to  its  base. 

Having  thus  described  the  locality  of  the  mountain,  and  set- 
tled the  application  of  the  name,  we  have  another  question  to 
determine  before  our  evening's  work  is  done.  Do  these  locali- 
ties correspond  with  the  scriptural  narrative?  First,  then,  let 
us  raise  an  inquiry  as  to 

THE   DESIGN   OF   ISRAEL'S   VISIT  HERE. 

In  leading  his  people  out  of  Egypt,  Grod  had  great  and  im- 
portant ends  to  attain,  aside  from  their  mere  settlement  in  the 
land  of  their  fathers.  He  had  a  revelation  of  himself  to  make — 
his  law  to  impart  to  them.,  He  had  to  instruct  them  in  a  knowl- 
edge of  their  duties  to  him  and  each  other.  He  had  an  im- 
portant system  of  worship  to  establish.  An  ignorant  and  un- 
disciplined mass  of  people  were  to  be  instructed  and  trained, 
and  brought  under  the  restraints  of  law  and  order.  A  great 
revolution  in  the  moral  and  religious  regimen  of  the  world  was 
to  be  developed.  The  old  patriarchal  system  was  to  be  broken 
up  and  abolished,  to  be  supplanted  by  a  new  system  of  faith 
and  worship;  and  a  whole  twelve-month's  time  was  to  be  spent 
in  the  inauguration  and  establishment  of  this  new  order  of 
things. 

In  carrying  this  plan  into  effect,  two  things  were  absolutely 
essential.  They  must  find  a  place  in  these  mountain  recesses 
where  they  could  be  secure  from  their  enemies,  and  where  a 
great  multitude  could  find  an  appropriate  place  for  an  encamp- 
ment.   That  such  a  place  was  found  here,  we  think  will  appear 


A    SECURE    DWELLING  PLACE. 


309 


evident  to  any  one  who  examines,  even  casually,  the  plain  and 
its  surroundings.    Look  then  at 

THE   PLACE    OP    THE  ENCAMPMENT. 

This  place  we  have  sh.own  you  on  the  Plain  of  Bahah,  and 
its  adjacent  valleys.  There  is  not  another  spot  in  all  this  re- 
gion so  well  adapted  to  it  as  this — a  beautiful,  level,  gravelly 
plain,  of  ample  dimensions — a  place,  at  that  time,  where  con- 
siderable vegetation  existed,  though  that  was  not  absolutely  es- 
sential, except  for  their  animals,  as  their  own  immediate  wants 
were  supplied  by  the  perpetual  miracle  of  the  manna.  Here, 
too,  was  water — an  abundance  of  good,  sweet  water — for  the 
most  of  the  springs  of  the  desert  are  found  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Sinai. 

Then,  as  a  place  of  security  and  defense,  what  general  could 
ever  have  chosen  a  more  prudent  and  secure  position  ?  If  the 
Creator  had  designed  it  fos  this  express  purpose,  could  it  have 
been  more  admirably  adapted?  It  appears  that  they  had  ene- 
mies strong  and  powerful.  They  had  left  an  enemy  behind 
them  in  Egypt.  The  nations  and  tribes  about  looked  upon 
them  with  jealousy,  and  arrayed  themselves  in  hostility  against 
them.  Already  the  Amalekites  had  opposed  them,  and  they 
had  fought  their  way  through  Rephidim.  For  the.  peaceful 
purposes  of  religious  instruction,  the  establishment  of  law  and 
order,  they  must  now  have  a  place  where  they  could  remain 
unmolested  till  their  tuition  was  over.  To  such  a  place  the' 
Lord  brought  them.  It  was  a  by -place,  far  away  from  the 
thoroughfares  of  travel  by  the  surrounding  nations.  It  was  a 
quiet  desert  sanctuary,  where  they  would  be  likely  to  remain 
undisturbed.  It  was  a  secure,  place  easily  defended.  Look  at 
the  diagram  we  have  given,  and  observe  the  passes  that  lead  to 
it  through  those  openings  in  the  mountains.  In  their  then 
mode  of  warfare,  a  handful  of  men  could  have  defended  any 
of  these  passes  against  a  multitude.    Again,  it  was  an 

ENCAMPMENT   BEFORE   THE  MOUNT. 

In  the  second  verse  of  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  Exodus  we 
read,  that  when  the  children  of  Israel  removed  from  Rephidim 


310 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


they  came  into  the  desert  of  Sinai,  "  and  there  Israel  encamped 
before  the  mount."  The  remark  seems  to  have  been  a  casual 
one,  and  certainly  made  without  any  design  of  aiding  future 
visitors  in  fixing  the  locality  of  the  place ;  and  yet  we  now  see 
how  accurately  the  language  corresponds  with  the  position. 
The  mountain  we  have  seen,  rising  up  in  majestic  altitude,  its 
perpendicular  walls,  like  frowning  battlements,  looking  down 
upon  the  Plain  of  Rahah.  An  assembly  of  people  resting  upon 
this  plain,  may  literally  and  truly  be  said  to  be  encamped  "be- 
fore the  m.ount"  The  existence  of  such  a  plain,  in  such  a  situa- 
tion, is,  as  one  has  said,  "so  remarkable  a  coincidence  with 
the  sacred  narrative,  as  to  furnish  a  strong  internal  argument, 
not  merely  of  its  identity  with  the  scene,  but  of  the  scene  itself 
having  been  described  by  an  eye  witness."  Another  evidence 
of  a  similar  kind  is  furnished  by 

THE   BOUNDARIES   ABOUT    THE  MOUNT. 

The  directions  and  precautions  given  to  Moses  would,  in  or- 
dinary circumstances,  seem  very  strange  and  unnecessary,  and, 
in  most  instances,  very  difficult  to  comply  with.  God  was 
about  to  make  an  exhibition  of  himself  upon  the  mount,  and 
that  mount  was  to  be  considered  a  sacred  place.  Its  sanctity 
must  be  invaded  by  no  intruder  of  man  or  beast.  "  And  thou 
shalt  set  bounds  to  the  p'eople  round  about,  saying,  take  heed 
to  yourselves,  that  ye  go  not  up  into  the  mount  or  touch  the  bor- 
*  der  of  it;  whosoever  toucheth  the  mount  shall  surely  be  put  to 
death."  Ex.  xix.  12.  This  stern  and  imperative  command  ap- 
plied to  both  man  and  beast. 

Yisit  almost  any  mountain  or  mountain  range,  and  how  rare 
a  thing  it  is  that  a  mountain  comes  down  so  directly,  and  with 
such  abrupt  descent  upon  the  plain>  that  you  can  determine 
just  where  the  mountain  begins.  There  is  usually  such  a  ming- 
ling of  hill  and  valley,  of  gentle  ascent  and  descending  slope, 
your  are  often  far  up  the  ascent  before  you  are  aware  that  you 
have  reached  the  mountain,  and  it  would  be  most  difficult  to 
say  when  you  had  touched  the  borders  of  it.  But  here  is  a  locali- 
ty, strange  as  it  may  seem,  answering  exactly  to  the  scriptural 
precaution  given  by  Moses  to  the  people.    Just  here  by  our  en- 


THE    MOUNTAIN    A  WITNESS. 


311 


campment,  and  all  along  the  base  of  the  mountain  towards  the 
west,  as  we  have  before  noticed,  this  great  granite  wall  rises  so 
abruptly  and  perpendicularly  from  the  plain,  you  can  come  di- 
rectly up  to  it  and  lay  your  hand  upon  it,  like  standing  upon 
the  ground  and  laying  your  hand  upon  the  perpendicular  wall 
of  a  house.  And  we  were  surprised,  as  we  walked  over  the 
ground,  to  fiud  a  long,  low,  alluvial  mound,  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  perpendicular  cliff,  and  running  along  for  a  great  dis- 
tance nearly  parallel  to  it,  as  if  left  there  to  remind  the  visitor 
that  a  boundary  was  once  built  here  by  the  direction  of  the  Al- 
mighty. Thus,  again,  have  we  this  remarkable  coincidence  of 
the  features  of  the  mountain  and  plain  with  the  scripture  nar- 
rative; another  evidence,  among  others,  that  no  careless  or 
ignorant  writer  was  wielding  the  pen  that  recorded  the  phe- 
nomena and  incidents  of  Israel's  encampment  on  this  plain. 

And  then,  again,  the  locality  of  the  plain,  and  the  position 
of  the  mountain  as  a  fit  and  appropriate  place  for  the  people  to 
witness  such  an  exhibition  of  the  majesty  and  glory  of  God, 
and  from  which  the  words  of  the  Almighty  could  be  addressed 
to  the  vast  multitudes,  impress  every  beholder  as  he  ap- 
proaches the  place ;  and  every  subsequent  examination  of  the 
localities  only  deepens  the  impressions.  Surely  the  hand  of 
God  is  in  these  things.  These  mountain  bights  and  plains  and 
valleys  are  pages  of  God's  great  historic  book,  and  here  he  has 
written  lessons  three  thousand  years  have  not  had  power  to 
'efface.  The  testimony  of  Moses  has  been  perpetuated  by  the 
.hand  of  man,  and  the  testimony  of  these  desert  pages  by  the 
power  of  God;  both  now  conspire  to  establish  his  veracity  and 
wisdom,  and  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  story  of  Israel's  visit 
and  God's  revelation.  Once  has  the  Almighty  spoken,  twice 
have  we  heard  his  voice,  and  no  one  can  stand  on  this  plain,  and 
look  up  to  yon  sublime  mountain  hight,  and  not  be  impressed 
with  the  legible  traces  of  God's  Handwriting  that  has  been  left 
on  all  about  him. 

And  now  we  'have  been  round  the  base  of  the  mountain ; 
have  looked  into  the  valleys  and  ravines  that  encircle  it;  have 
see  the  altitude  and  form  of  the  majestic  elevation,  and  the  pe- 
culiar position  of  the  plain  upon  which  Israel  encamped  "  be- 


312 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


fore  the  mount."  From  this  examination  we  shall  now  be  bet- 
ter prepared  to  ascend  the  Mount  of  God — to  go  under  the  im- 
pression that  we  are  climbing  along  the  pathway  where  Moses 
ascended  to  receive  the  law;  visiting  the  localities  where  some 
of  the  most  remarkable  phenomena  that  have  attended  the 
revelation  of  God  to  man  have  taken  place.  While  we  have 
been  engaged  on  this,  the  evening  hours  have  stolen  away,  our 
candle  has  burned  low  into  its  socket,  the  camp-fire  has  gone 
out,  and  Mohammed  and  the  cook  are  enjoying  a  profound 
slumber.  Let  us  seek  a  night's  rest.  To-morrow,  at  8  o'clock, 
we  are  to  meet  our  guides,  and  make  the  ascent  of  the  moun- 
tain— a  rare  privilege,  which  comparatively  few  are  permitted 
to  enjoy. 


CLIMBING   THE  MOUNTAIN. 


313 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

Ascent  of  Sinai  and  Horeb — Sights  by  the  Way — Reflec- 
tions upon  the  Summit — Descent  and  View  of  the 
Mountain  from  the  Plain. 

March  4dh.  This  is  the  coolest  morning  we  have  seen  in  the 
desert.  The  water  left  standing  in  our  wash-pan  froze  over  in 
a  short  time.  We  are  now  so  far  elevated  in  these  mountain- 
ous regions  as  to  have  quite  a  different  climate  from  what  we 
had  along  the  sea-shore.  Our  breakfast  was  soon  over,  and  we 
were  anxious  to  commence  the  ascent  of  the  mountain. 

The  guides  for  these  excursions  are  usually  furnished  by  the 
convent.  "We  had  one  monk  and  one  of  the  menial  Arabs,  a 
number  of  whom  are  employed  about  the  convent,  and  whose 
living  seems  to  depend  upon  the  small  allowances  receivecLfrom 
the  Christian  inmates.  Either  on^  of  them  would  have  been 
sufficient,  but  the  monks,  in  all  their  arrangements,  wish  to  con- 
ciliate the  Arabs,  so  they  allow  them  to  share  in  these  atten- 
tions to  visitors,  and  receive  a  small  share  of  the  compensation. 
The  charge  for  these  guides  is  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  day 
for  each. 

About  8  o'clock  we  passed  out  of  the  gate  of  the  rear  wall 
of  the  convent,  and  immediately  commenced  the  ascent.  Our 
Arab  servant  carried  upon  his  head  a  basket  of  supplies,  for 
our  refreshment  during  the  excursion.  This  was  a  kind  gratui- 
ty upon  their  part,  but  quite  a  fortunate  arrangement  for  us. 
The  contents  consisted,  as  we  afterwards  found,  of  a  bottle  of 
arrack,  dried  dates  and  figs,  with  coffee.  The  arrack  we  should 
not  have  ordered,  had  we  been  consulted  about  the  arrange- 
ment, but  the  monks  seem  to  think  it  one  of  the  necessaries  of 
life. 


314 


EGYPT  AND  SINAI. 


We  took  a  narrow  path  leading  diagonally  up  the  mountain 
side.  It  was  quite  steep  and  rocky,  and  in  many  places  diffi- 
cult of  ascent.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  we  reached  a  cool, 
refreshing  spring,  imbedded  in  rocks  in  a  deep  ravine,  and 
sending  out  a  copious  stream  of  clear,  sweet  water.  Here  we 
stopped  a  few  minutes  to  rest  and  refresh  ourselves.  Our  path 
now  became  more  difficult.  It  wound  along  the  bed  of  this 
narrow  ravine,  tall  cliffs  rising  up  on  the  right  and  left,  while 
we  picked  our  way  among  huge  granite  bowlders,  scattered 
about  in  wild  profusion.  Along  the  more  difficult  and  precip- 
itous passes,  the  monks  have  arranged  the  stones  in  artificial 
stairways  to  facilitate  the  ascent.  We  soon  reached  a  small, 
rudely  built,  dilapidated  chapel,  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary, 
vulgarly  known  as 

THE    CHAPEL   OP   THE  FLEAS. 

The  story  of  its  erection  is  as  follows:  The  monks  in  the 
convent  were  once  assailed  by  such  swarms  of  fleas  they  were 
compelled,  for  their  own  comfort,  to  leave  the  place.  This  they 
did,  resolving  never  to  return.  With  many  regrets  at  leaving 
their  old  home,  they  commenced  a  mournful  march  up  the 
mountain  side.  At  this  place  they  were  met  by  the  Virgin 
Mary — in  what  form  she  appeared  I  could  not  learn — who  com- 
miserated their  condition,  and  gave  them  solemn  assurance  if 
they  would  return  she  would  expel  their  tormentors.  They 
did  return,  and  the  story  says  the  convent  has  since  been  free 
from  these  troublesome  intruders — and  yet  not  entirely  free,  as 
I  can  testify  from  experience.  For  this  remarkable  deliverance, 
this  chapel  was  built  and  dedicated  to  the  Virgin.  We  went 
in.  It  was  a  miserable,  dirty  place,  and  sadly  out  of  repair. 
The  careless  monks,  I  fear,  had  either  forgotten  the  favor,  or 
the  remembrance  of  it  no  longer  excited  their  gratitude.  Upon 
the  arching  of  a  little  door  leading  into  a  kind  of  sacristy, 
where  stood  an  altar  and  font  for  holy  water,  I  read  the 
name,  "  Rev.  J.  P.  Durbin,  U.  S.  America."  I  had  not  thought 
of  leaving  my  own  name,  but  a  sudden  impulse  moved  me.  I 
reached  up,  wrote  and  left  my  name  beneath  that  of  my  distin- 
guished fellow-countryman.    These  chapels  upon  the  mountain 


ASCENT    OF  SINAI. 


315 


are  in  a  sadly  neglected  condition ;  in  some  of  them  the  doors 
are  broken  down,  and  goats  Herd  within  their  walls. 

OLD    GATEWAYS   AND  GARDENS. 

Continuing  our  ascent  along  a  mountain  ravine,  we  passed  a 
narrow  gateway,  arched  with  stone,  and  soon  after,  another, 
similarly  constructed.  Here,  it  is  said,  in  former  days,  a  monk 
was  always  stationed  to  confess  the  pilgrims  that  ascended  to 
the  higher  and  holier  parts  of  the  mountain.  This  supersti- 
tious practice,  however,  -was  long  since  abandoned,  and  these 
little  gateways  are  fast  crumbling  to  ruin.  Passing  on  above 
this,  we  came  to  a  beautiful  garden-spot  upon  the  mountain. 
This  was  a  depression  or  basin  in  the  mountain  side — a  sort  of 
amphitheatre,  containing  an  acre  or  two  of  ground.  The  hills 
rose  up  in  gentle  slopes  all  around  it,  while  on  one  side  still  far 
above  us  we  lifted  our  eyes  to  the  lofty  peak  of  Sinai.  In  the 
center  of  this  was  a  small  stone  tower,  and  near  it  a  beautiful 
spring  of  water,  handsomely  walled  round  by  the  labor  of  the 
monks ;  while  above  the  spring  a  tall  cypress  lifted  its  thick 
and  sombre  branches.  Several  little  patches  of  ground  here 
and  there  were  under  cultivation  by  the  monks,  and  a  number 
of  fruit  trees  had  recently  been  planted.  Here,  also,  we  saw 
two  quails,  the  only  birds  we  saw  in  our  ascent  up  the  moun- 
tain. In  contrast  with  the  bleak,  sterile  rocks  that  sur- 
rounded it,  and  the  wild  mountain  scenery  that  towered  above 
it,  this  was  a  bright  and  charming  spot.  I  could  not  resist  the 
impression  that  this  secluded  dell  must  have  been  one  of  Moses' 
favorite  resorts  for  contemplation  and  communion  with  God. 
After  refreshing  ourselves  for  a  short  season  in  this  attractive 
place,  we  again  commenced  our  ascent.  The  next  place  of  in- 
terest we  reached  was  a  low  stone  building,  with  a  flat  roof  of 
reeds  and  clay,  containing 

THE   CHAPELS   OP   ELIJAH  AND  ELISHA. 

The  chapel  of  Elijah  covers  a  small  grotto  in  the  rocks,  and 
is  shown  as  the  place  in  which  the  Prophet  rested  when  he  fled 
into  the  desert  from  the  persecuting  malice  of  Ahab  and  Jeze- 
bel, and  came  to  the  Mount  of  God.    It  was  a  natural  cave 


316 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


among  the  granite  rocks,  about  large  enough  for  three  persons 
in  a  stooping  or  sitting  posture.  We  went  into  the  little  grotto, 
sat  down,  and  recalled  the  interesting  episode  in  the  life  of  the 
Prophet  that  gave  so  much  interest  to  the  place.  I  saw  him 
first,  as,  weary  and  oppressed  in  his  flight,  he  slept  under  a  ju- 
niper tree.  Aroused  by  the  angel  of  God,  he  refreshed  himself 
with  the  cake  of  bread  and  the  cruise  of  oil  that  had  been  so 
miraculously  prepared  for  him,  and  went  on  the  strength  of 
that  meat  forty  days  and  forty  nights  unto  Horeb,  the  Mount  of 
God.  "  And  he  came  thither  unto  a  cave  and  lodged  there." 
1st  Kings  xix.  9. 

Afterward  came  the  inquiring  voice  of  the  Lord  God, 
"  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah?"  "  And  he  said,  I  have  been 
very  jealous  for  the  Lord  God  of  hosts;  for  the  children  of  Is- 
rael have  forsaken  thy  covenant,  thrown  down  thine  altars, 
and  slain  thy  prophets  with  the  sword,  and  I,  even  I  only,  am 
left,  and  they  seek  my  life  to  take  it  away."  Then  came  that 
wonderful  exhibition  of  the  Divine  power  and  glory.  A  ter- 
riffic  wind  swept  over  these  mountain  peaks,,  and  went  howling 
through  these  mountain  gorges.  The  terrors  of  an  earthquake 
shook  the  mountain,  and  it  trembled,  as  when  of  old  the  Lord 
set  his  feet  upon  it  in  the  presence  of  Israel.  Then  a  kindling 
fire,  as  if  with  the  fierceness  of  the  judgment  day,  seemed  to 
wrap  all  in  a  consuming  flame.  But  these  terrific  manifesta- 
tions passed  away.  They  were  but  the  precursors  of  the  Di- 
vine presence — a  calm  and  solemn  stillness  succeeded,  and  in  a 
still,  small  voice,  God  communicated  his  will  to  the  trembling 
and  adoring  Prophet.  "And  it  was  so  when  Elijah  heard  it 
he  wrapt  his  face  in  his  mantle,  and  went  out  and  stood  at  the 
entering  in  of  the  cave,"  and  received  instruction  from  the  Al- 
mighty. Was  this  the  place  ?  I  could  not  say  it  was,  yet  it 
was  probably  in  this  very  mount,  and  I  seemed  to  be  near  the 
scene  of  those  solemn  and  interesting  events.  What  sublime 
and  wonderful  exhibitions  of  God  have  been  made  amid  these 
mountain  rocks  and  dells! 

Leaving  this  traditional  spot  of  Elijah's  interview  with  God, 
we  passed  on  towards  the  top  of  the  mountain.  How  often  we 
paused  to  wonder  if.it  was  really  along  these  narrow  pathways 


ASCENT    OF  SINAI. 


317 


that  Moses  climbed  in  his  intimate  interviews  with  God !  Our 
path  was  now  growing  steeper  and  more  difficult.  It  was  only 
by  the  aid  of  a  rude  stone  stairway,  constructed  by  the  monks, 
that  we  were  able  to  ascend  at  all. 

a  camel's  foot-print. 

As  we  moved  along  this  rugged  pathway,  the  guide  called 
our  attention  to  a  singular  impression  upon  a  level  place  in  the 
bed  of  rocks,  said  to  be  a  foot-print  of  Mohammed's  camel, 
left  there  when  he  ascended' to  the  top  of  the  mount.  Various 
stories  are  told  of  this  somewhat  singular  impression.  Its 
shape  is  prescisely  such  as  would  be  left  by  a  camel's  foot  pressed 
upon  some  soft  substance.  Some  affirm  it  to  be  an  accidental 
indentation  of  the  rock;  while  some  of  the  Arabs  stoutly 
assert  that  it  was  actually  made  by  the  foot  of  the  beast  on 
which  the  Prophet  rode,  though  it  does  not  appear  likely  any 
camel  could  ever  have  made  his  way  along  this  rough,  precip- 
itous ascent.  Some  say  it  was  made  by  some  mischievous 
monk  of  the  monastery,' to  produce  some  Superstitiou*  effect 
upon  the  Moslem  Arabs.  Certain  it  is,  many  of  these  Arabs 
seem  fully  to  believe  it  was  actually  made  by  the  beast  of  the 
Prophet.  The  toilsome  ascent  was  at  last  completed,  and  about 
two  hours  and  a  half  after  leaving  the  convent,  we  stood 

ON    THE   SUMMIT    01  SINAl! 

According  to  Stanley's  measurement,  we  had  ascended,  from 
the  level  of  the  sea  to  reach  the  convent  of  St.  Catharine,  5,452 
feet,  to  reach  the  top  of  the  mount,  2,112  feet  more,  making 
the  summit  of  Sinai  7,564  feet  above  the  sea.  The  mountain 
is  an  elevation  of  bare  granite  peaks,  red  granite  at  the  base, 
and  gray  granite  as  you  near  the  top.  Very  little  vegetation 
grows  upon  it ;  for  the  last  thousand  feet,  scarce  any  thing  is 
seen,  and  but  very  little  soil.  A  few  hardy  herbs  take  root  in 
the  crevices  of  the  rocks  and  among  the  bowlders,  but  no  tree 
or  bush  is  seen  near  the  top.  In  several  places,  sheltered  from 
the  sun,  quite  large  bodies  of  snow  were  yet  to  be  seen,  slowly 
melting  away  under  the  influence  of  the  increasing  heat  of 
summer. 


318 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


The  top  of  the  mount  is  a  pointed  peak,  and  cannot  be  mis- 
taken. There  is  a  diameter  of  thirty  or  forty  paces  upon 
which  you  can  walk  about,  though  quite  rocky  and  uneven. 
A  few  paces  below  the  summit  is  a  cleft  in  the  rock,  about 
large  enough  to  admit  the  body  of  a  man.  This,  according  to 
the  monks,  is  the  place  in  which  Moses  was  hid  when  the  Lord 
passed  by  and  proclaimed  his  glory.  On  the  top  is  a  Moslem 
mosque  and  a  Christian  chapel.  The  mosque  has  fallen  into 
decay,  and  is  no  longer  used.  The  chapel  is  still  taken  care  of 
by  the  monks,  and  is  ornamented  with  candlesticks,  lamps  and 
pictures.  One  of  the  first  things  our  attendant  did,  was  to 
open  the  chapel,  having  brought  the  key  with  him,  light  the 
lamps,  burn  incense,  and  perform  his  devotions  at  the  altar. 
But  all  these  things  were  nothing  to  me.  The  mountain  itself 
was  a  great  consecrated  altar ;  the  sun  in  the  heavens  the  illum- 
inating lamp ;  the  aspirations  of  an  adoring  heart  the  incense. 

Here  we  stand  upon  the  Mount  of  God  !  Here  is  the  end  of 
our  journey.  For  this  we  have  made  our  long  and  weary  pil- 
grimage across  the  desert.  This  mount  has  been  the  chosen 
theatre  for  one  of  the  most  glorious  and  astounding  revelations 
of  God  to  man  the  world  has  ever  witnessed.  On  this  mount 
God  once  came  down  in  awful  grandeur  and  majesty;  and  on 
this  sublime  elevation  his  glory  was  displayed.  I  withdrew 
from  my  companions  behind  the  cover  of  a  rock,  and  gave 
myself  up  to  the  emotions  the  place  was  calculated  to  inspire. 
I  read  aloud  from  my  Bible  a  description  of  the  august  and  im- 
posing scene,  when  the. mount  was  made  to  tremble  beneath  the 
majesty  and  glory  of  the  presence  of  Deity.  I  read  the  com- 
mandments that  were  rehearsed  in  the  hearing  of  the  people. 
I  fell  on  my  knees,  and  lifted  up  my  heart  and  voice  in  prayer 
to  Almighty  God ;  and  here  I  fulfilled  the  pledge  I  made  to  my 
church  and  people,  that  I  would  pray  for  them  from  the  top  of 
Sinai.  It  was  to  me  an  hour  of  devout  and  solemn  communion 
with  the  God  of  Abraham  and  of  Isaac,  of  Jacob  and  of  Moses. 

DESCENT    PROM    THE  MOUNT. 

"We  spent  from  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours  upon  the 
top  of  the  mount.   During  this  time  our  Arab  servant  succeed- 


ASCENT    OF  HOREB. 


319 


ed  in  gathering  sufficient  dry  herbage  to  kindle  a  little  fire,  and 
boil  some  fresh  coffee,  from  which,  with  the  dates  and  brown 
bread  he  had  brought  with  him,  he  served  us  a  very  accept- 
able and  refreshing  lunch.  Our  repast  over,  we  took  our  last 
earnest  look  from  the  top  of  the  mount,  bade  a  reluctant  fare- 
well to  the  place,  and  commenced  our  descent,  not  to  return  to 
our  tents,  but  to  ascend  the  Horeb  peak.  This  part  of  the 
mount,  many  think,  and  with  good  reason  too,  is  the  place 
from  which  the  law  was  actually  proclaimed.  This  is  called  by 
the  Arabs  Jebel  Safsafeh,  the  Mountain  of  the  Willow,  so  called 
from  one  or  two  willow  trees  that  grow  upon  it. 

We  descended  by  the  same  path  that  had  led  us  to  the  top, 
until  we  came  to  the  place  we  have  before  described,  where  are 
found  the  cypress  tree,  the  fountain  of  water,  and  the  chapel  of 
Elijah.  From  this  we  passed  in  a  northerly  direction,  along 
the  western  brow  of  a  ridge  lying  between  the  two  peaks. 
The  path  was  a  very  rough  and  fatiguing  one ;  sometimes  we 
were  descending  into  valleys,  sometimes  climbing  over  rough 
and  naked  ridges.  In  this  way  we  passed  on,  I  should  think, 
near  two  miles,  keeping  about  the  same  average  elevation  upon 
the  mountain.  In  one  place  we  passed  an  old  stone  chapel, 
erected  in  honor  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  then  another  dedi- 
cated to  the  "  Virgin  of  the  Zone."  These  chapels,  I  suppose, 
were  used  in  former  days,  when  these  mountain  caverns  were 
occupied  by  the  religious  devotees  who  had  here  secluded  them- 
selves from  the  world.  They  have  now  ceased  to  be  used,  and 
are  rapidly  falling  into  ruins. 

From  this  last  chapel  the  summit  of  Safsafeh,  or  Horeb,  is 
seen  towering  upward  in  bold,  naked,  precipitous  peaks.  Near 
this  we  came  upon  the  ruins  of  an  old  willow  tree.  The  main 
trunk  of  the  tree  had  perished,  either  from  the  decay  of  age 
or  from  the  destructive  hands  of  the  Arabs.  From  the  decay- 
ing stalks  we  took  the  liberty  of  cutting  each  of  us  a  cane,  the 
only  opportunity  we  found  of  securing  such  a  trophy  upon  the 
whole  mount,  aside  from  the  cultivated  shrubs  of  the  convent 
garden.  The  almost  utter  barrenness  of  this  mountain  scen- 
ery is  one  of  its  striking  peculiarities.  The  cheerless  sterility  of 
naked  rocks  surround  you  on  every  side.    Shrubs  and  trees, 


320 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


and  grass  and  flowers,  are  not  found  here,  to  give  variety  and 
beauty  to  the  landscape. 

THE    ASCENT    OF  HOREB. 

We  saw  we  had  some  hard  climbing  to  do  to  reach  the  sum- 
mit of  those  precipitous  cliffs.  It  is  impossible  for  one  to  con- 
ceive, without  an  actual  visit  to  the  place,  the  wild  and  rugged 
aspect  of  this  pile  of  granite  peaks.  They  are  smooth,  solid 
masses  of  stone,  some  of  the  points  so  sharp  it  is  impossible  to 
ascend  them ;  while  here  and  there  are  precipitous  cliffs,  and 
immense  yawning  chasms,  with  huge  bowlders  scattered  about 
in  strange  and  wild  confusion. 

Our  monk,  wearied  with  his  long  walk,  concluded  to  remain 
at  the  base  of  these  cliffs,  and  sent  the  Arab  servant  on  with 
us.  Our  design  was  to  get  upon  one  of  the  highest  peaks  over- 
looking the  plain  of  Rahah.  The  guide  proceeded  with  us  for 
some  distance,  conducted  us  to  a  shelving  point  of  rock  that 
overlooked  a  deep  chasm  below,  and  then  endeavored  to  make 
us  understand  that  this  was  as  far  as  travelers  ever  went.  "We 
were  not  satisfied,  and  insisted  on  being  taken  on  to  a  higher 
point.  He  shook  his  head  forbiddingly,  but  we  determined  to 
proceed.  We  retraced  our  steps  part  way  to  where  we  had 
left  the  monk,  and  shouted  to  him  for  assistance.  He  replied 
by  telling  us  that  travelers  did  not  go  to  the  top  of  the  mount. 
This  we  did  not  believe,  for  we  knew  others  had  ascended ;  and 
to  the  top  we  had  determined  to  go,  if  we  had  to  go  without 
monk  or  Arab.  We  took  another  course,  and  again  com- 
menced the  ascent.  By  this  time  we  were  satisfied  our  guide 
knew  no  more  about  the  way  than  we  did,  so  we  left  him  to 
take  care  of  himself,  and  took  the  matter  into  our  own  hands. 
We  climbed  on  up  the  steep,  rocky  ascent,  sometimes  on  all 
fours,  holding  on  with  both  hands,  and  climbing  along  the  edge 
of  precipices  of  frightful  hight,  till  we  could  get  no  further; 
still  we  were  at  least  a  hundred  feet  below  the  summit.  Again 
we  retraced  our  steps,  took  a  circuit  around  to  another  portion 
of  the  mount,  and  again  climbed  our  way  upward.  The  grit 
of  the  rocks  was  so  sharp  as  to  cut  our  hands  and  tear  our 
clothes,  and  we  sometimes  had  to  climb  on  hands  and  knees. 


ON    THE   SUMMIT    OF  HOREB. 


321 


But  our  efforts  at  last  proved  successful.  We  gained  not  the 
highest  point,  for  we  saw  two  higher  peaks  back  of  us,  but  we 
gained  a  point  that  overlooked  the  plain  below. 

It  was  by  perseverance,  and  hard,  laborious  toil,  we  reached 
the  place ;  but  we  were  richly  rewarded  for  all  our  efforts. 
"Robinson,  Durbin,  Stanley  and  others,  had  climbed  to  these 
summits  before  me,  and  had  all  been  impressed  with  the  ap- 
propriateness of  the  place  for  that  grand  display  of  majesty 
and  glory,  when  God  came  down  upon  the  mount  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  people.  There  was  the  great  plain  of  Rahah,  lying 
just  at  our  feet  —  a  beautiful  camping  place  for  the  many 
thousands  of  Israel.  Stretching  away  beyond  it,  was  the  long, 
low  range  of  hills— Sena  and  Fureia  —  upon  which  thousands 
more  might  have  been  gathered  in  full  view  of  the  mount. 
Opening  away  down  to  the  right  was  the  Wady  es  Sheik, 
along  which  valley  three  or  four  miles  the  encampment  might 
have  spread,  and  yet  all  have  been  in  view  of  these  tall  peaks, 
covered  with  the  majesty  and  glory  of  God. 

And  there,  I  said,  as  I  looked  down  upon  the  plain,  was  the 
•place  of  the  encampment!  There  Moses  went  down  to  sanctify 
and  prepare  the  people.  Along  the  edge  of  that  plain,  from 
which  the  mountain  rises  so  abruptly,  he  set  boundaries  about 
the  mountain,  and  there  the  people  drew  back  with  astonish- 
ment and  affright  at  the  awful  exhibitions  of  the  glory  of  God. 
"What  strange  emotions  I  felt  as  I  looked  down  upon  that  plain ! 
What  a  multitude  of  reflections  came  crowding  upon  my  mind  ! 
I  recalled  the  time  when  that  broad  plain  and  these  hill-sides 
and  surrounding  valleys  were  dotted  over  with  the  tents,  and 
swarming  with  the  gathered  hosts  of  Israel's  tribes.  These 
mountain  fastnesses  were  to  them  a  refuge  and  a  sanctury. 
Here  they  learned  how  to  worship  God.  On  that  plain,  that 
lay  just  at  my  feet,  the  busy  multitude  labored  to  prepare  the 
Tabernacle  of  God.  There  they  collected  the  gold  and  the 
silver,  the  fine  linen,  the  blue,  the  purple  and  scarlet.  There 
they  cast  the  silver  blocks  of  the  foundation,  and  hewed  the 
boards,  and  overlaid  them  with  gold.  There  Bezaleel  had  his 
forge  and  shop;  and  there  cunning  workmen,  with  a  skill 
kindled  by  a  strange  inspiration,  prepared  the  golden  candle- 


322 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


stick,  the  table  of  shew  bread,  the  altar  of  incense,  and,  more 
than  all,  the  wonderful  ark,  with  the  mercy  seat  and  golden 
cherubims,  upon  the  wings  of  which  rested  the  Shekinah,  the 
abiding  token  of  God's  glory  in  the  midst  of  the  camp. 

There,  encircled  by  that  amphitheatre  of  hills,  was  God's 
sanctuary.;  there  was  his  congregation;  and  more  than  all, 
where  I  now  stand  was  his  majestic  pulpit,  with  its  awful 
canopy  of  clouds  and  fire.  Was  ever  before  or  since  such  an 
audience  !  such  a  pulpit !  such  a  preacher !  such  a  sermon  !  So 
terrible  was  the  scene  that  Moses  said :  "  I  exceedingly  fear  and 
quake."  And  all  the  people  drew  back  awe-stricken,  and, 
retiring  into  yonder  mountain  recesses,  said  unto  Moses  :  "  Speak 
thou  with  us  and  we  will  hear;  but  let  not  God  speak  with  us, 
lest  we  die." 

It  was  an  impressive  region  of  solitude  and  silence;  of 
mountain  ruggedness  and  sublimity ;  of  solemn  and  soul  stir- 
ring remembrances !  I  stood  overawed  and  adoring,  amid  the 
majestic  grandeur  and  awful  sublimity  of  the  scene.  I  felt 
like  Elijah,  when,  on  this  same  mount,  he  went  forth  and  stood 
at  the  entering  in  of  the  cave.  The  tempest,  the  earthquake, 
and  the  fire  had  all  passed,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  solemn 
silence  that  gathered  about  the  mountain  peaks,  I  heard  only 
the  "  still  small  voice,"  and,  like  him,  I  covered  my  face  in  rever- 
ence and  communed  with  God. 

THE   DESCENT   TO   OUR  TENTS. 

Our  stay  upon  the  mount  must  not  be  protracted.  Would  it 
not  be  pleasant,  like  Moses,  to  linger  here  forty  days  in  com- 
munion with  God?  Let  us  go,  having  that  holy  law  that  was 
here  uttered,  amid  such  majesty  and  glory,  more  deeply  than 
ever  impressed  upon  our  hearts.  Slowly  and  reverently  we 
turned  away.  We  shall  never  visit  the  hallowed  spot  again; 
but  the  impressions  that  have  now  been  made  upon  our  hearts 
will  not  soon  be  effaced. 

We  had  been  standing  almost  directly  above  our  tents,  and 
we  made  a  rapid  and  direct  descent  towards  our  encampment. 
We  passed  down  through  a  ravine,  so  precipitous  that  a  pas- 
sage would  have  been  impracticable  had  it  not  been  for  the 


LEGENDARY  LOCALITIES. 


323 


roughness  of  the  rocks.  Upon  these  we  were  enabled  to  hold, 
and  thus  resist  the  force  of  gravity  that  would  otherwise  have 
sent  us  headlong  to  the  plain  below. 

The  sun  had  sunk  far  below  the  hoary  peaks  of  Sinai,  Horeb 
and  St.  Catharine,  when,  weary  and  hungry,  we  reached  our 
tents.  The  cook  had  anticipated  our  wants,  and  the  smoking 
viands  were  soon  spread  for  our  refreshment.  We  ate  with  a 
relish  that  abstinence  and  hard  labor  only  can  beget,  and  were 
soon  enjoying  the  rest  our  weary  limbs  so  much  needed. 

March  5th.  Another  night  was  passed  in  safety.  We  found 
ourselves  so  lame  and  stiff  from  our  long  mountain  excursion 
yesterday,  we  had  but  little  inclination  to  repeat  the  excessive 
labor.  Mr.  Baker  took  the  guides  and  started  for  an  excursion 
to  the  tall  summit  of  St.  Catharine,  while  Mr.  Lempriere  and 
myself  concluded  to  remain  nearer  home,  and  spend  the  day 
about  the  base  of  Sinai.  Desolate  as  the  country  is,  one  does 
not  soon  tire  of  wandering  among  its  wild  and  rugged  scenery. 
Besides,  there  are  many  localities  here  that  stand,  in  name  at 
least,  identified  with  the  scripture  narrative.  Here,  close  by 
our  tent,  is  the  Hill  of  Aaron ;  yonder,  a  round-topped  elevation 
of  a  peculiar  green  color,  pointed  out  as  the  site  of  Jethro's 
house. 

THE   MOLD   OP   AARON'S  CALF. 

One  of  the  monks  accompanied  us,  and  took  us  first  to  the 
mold  in  the  rock  where  a  superstitious  fancy  has  fixed  the  place 
of  the  casting  of  the  golden  calf.  Its  location  may  be  seen  by 
reference  to  No.  6  on  the  diagram  on  page  304.  It  is  a  small, 
hollow  place  in  the  rocks  near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  about 
the  size  and  somewhat  the  shape  of  an  ox's  head.  It  requires, 
however,  a  great  stretch  of  imagination  to  transform  it  into  a 
suitable  mold  for  such  a  purpose  as  Aaron  would  have  required. 
That  it  is  something  in  the  shape  of  a  calf's  head,  cannot  be  de- 
nied; but  that  it  could  ever  have  been  used  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  shape  to  Aaron's  idol,  is  utterly  impossible.  Its  size 
would  have  been  an  objection;  and  such  is  its  shape  that  a 
liquid  mass  once  poured  into  it  and  hardened,  could  never  have 
been  withdrawn.  It  seems  to  be  simply  a  hollow  place— a 
19 


324 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


softer  portion  of  the  rock,  worn  out  by  the  action  of  water;  and 
I  do  not  suppose  that  even  the  most  ignorant  and  superstitious 
monk  really  believes  Aaron's  calf  ever  had  any  connection 
with  it. 

THE    SMITTEN  ROCK. 

"We  next  passed  round  into  the  valley,  Leja,  a  deep  ravine 
along  the  western  base  of  Sinai.  It  is  a  wild,  rocky  gorge,  ter- 
minating in  a  huge  fissure  in  the  mountain  side,  called  Shouk 
Mousa,  "  Cleft  of  Moses."  Some  distance  up  this  ravine,  about 
half  an  hour's  walk,  marked  by  No.  7  on  the  diagram,  we  were 
shown  the  Smitten  Bock. 

Different  visitors  seem  to  have  been  differently  impressed  in 
their  visits  to  this  singular  rock.  Dr.  Durbin  makes  the  fol- 
lowing note  of  his  visit  to  it : 

"From  the  accounts  of  previous  travelers,  and  my  settled  conviction  that  the 
legend  in  regard  to  the  rock  was  hut  a  fable,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  there 
could  he  no  interest  excited  about  it.  May  I  tell  the  reader,  that  notwithstanding 
my  good  stock  of  skepticism,  this  stone  made  more  impression  upon  me  than  any 
natural  object  claiming  to  attest  a  miracle  ever  did?  Had  any  enlightened  geolo- 
gist, utterly  ignorant  of  the  miracle  of  Moses,  passed  up  the  ravine  and  seen  the 
rock  as  it  now  is,  he  could  have  declared — though  the  position  of  the  stone  and 
the  present  condition  of  the  country  around  would  have  opposed  any  such  im- 
pression— that  strong  and  long  continued  fountains  of  water  had  once  poured  their 
gurgling  currents  from  it  and  over  it.  He  could  not  waver  in  his  belief  a  moment, 
so  natural  and  perfect  were  the  indications.  I  examined  it  thoroughly,  and  if  it  be 
a  forgery,  I  am  satisfied,  for  my  own  part,  that  a  greater  than  Michael  Angelo  de- 
signed and  executed  it.  I  cannot  differ  from  Shaw's  opinion,  that  'neither  art 
nor  chance  could  by  any  means  be  concerned  in  the  contrivance  of  these  holes, 
which  formed  so  many  fountains.'  The  more  I  gazed  upon  the  irregular,  mouth- 
like caverns  in  the  rock,  the  more  I  found  my  skepticism  shaken ;  and  at  last  I 
could  not  help  asking  myself  whether  it  was  not  a  very  natural  solution  of  the 
matter,  that  this  was  indeed  the  rock  which  Moses  struck,  that  from  it  the  waters 
'gushed  forth,'  and  poured  their  stream  down  Wady  Leja  to  Wady  es  Sheik,  and 
along  it  to  Rephidim,  where  Israel  was  encamped,  perishing  with  thirst?" 

Dr.  Robinson  says : 

"As  to  this  rock,  one  is  at  a  loss  whether  most  to  admire  the  credulity  of  the 
monks  or  the  legendary  and  discrepant  reports  of  travelers.  It  is  hardly  necessa- 
ry to  remark  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  ground  for  assuming  any  connection 
between  this  narrow  valley  and  Rephidim;  but,  on  the  contrary,  there  is  every 
thing  against  it.  The  rock  itself  is  a  large,  isolated  cube  of  coarse,  red  granite, 
which  has  fallen  from  the  eastern  mountain.     Down  its  front,  in  an  oblique  line 


THE    SMITTEN  EOCK. 


325 


from  top  to  bottom,  runs  a  seam  of  a  finer  texture,  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches 
broad,  having  in  it  several  irregular  horizontal  crevices,  somewhat  resembling  the 
human  mouth,  one  above  another.  These  are  said  to  be  twelve  in  number,  but  I 
could  make  out  only  ten.  The  seam  extends  quite  through  the  rock,  and  is  visible 
on  the  opposite  or  back  side ;  where  also  are  similar  crevices,  though  not  so  large. 
The  holes  did  not  appear  to  us  to  be  artificial,  as  is  usually  reported,  although  we 
examined  them  particularly.  They  belong  rather  to  the  nature  of  the  seam ;  yet 
it  is  possible  some  of  them  may  have  been  enlarged  by  artificial  means.  The  rock 
is  a  singular  one,  and,  doubtless,  was  selected  on  account  of  this  singularity  as 
the  scene  of  the  miracle." 

Of  this  same  rock  Stanley  speaks  as  the  most  famous  of  all 
the  relics  here  found : 

"Slightly  leaning  forwards,  a  rude  seam  or  scoop  running  over  each  side,  inter- 
sected by  wide  slits  or  cracks,  which  might,  by  omitting  or  including  those  of  less 
distinctness,  be  enlarged  or  diminished  to  any  number  between  ten  and  twenty ; 
perhaps  ten  on  each  side  would  be  the  most  correct  account ;  and  the  stone  be- 
tween each  of  those  cracks  worn  away  as  if  by  the  dropping  of  water  from  the 
crack  immediately  above.  Unlike  as  this  isolated  fragment  is  to  the  image  usual- 
ly formed  ' '  of  the  rock  in  Horeb, ' '  and  incompatible  as  its  situation  is  with  any 
tenable  theory  of  the  event  with  which  it  professes  to  be  connected,  yet  to  uncul- 
tivated minds,  regardless  of  general  truth,  and  eager  for  minute  coincidence,  it 
was  most  natural  that  this  rock  should  have  suggested  the  miracle  of  Moses. 
There  is  every  reason,  accordingly,  to  believe  that  this  is  the  oldest  legendary  local- 
ity in  the  district.  It  is  probable  that  it  was  known  even  in  the  time  of  Josephus, 
who  speaks  of  the  rock  as  "lying  beside  them  " — an  expression  naturally  appli- 
cable to  a  fragment  like  this,  but  hardly  to  a  cliff  in  the  mountain.  The  situation 
and  form  of  this  stone  would  also  have  accommodated  itself  to  the  strange  rab- 
binical belief  that  the  "  rock  followed "  them  through  the  wilderness;  a  belief, 
groundless  enough  under  any  circumstances,  but  more  natural  if  any  Jewish  pil- 
grims had  seen  or  heard  of  this  detached  mass*  by  the  mountain  side.  It  next  ap- 
pears, or  rather,  perhaps,  we  would  say,  its  first  unquestionable  appearance,  is  in 
the  reference  made  more  than  once  in  the  Koran  to  the  rock  with  the  twelve 
mouths  for  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  evidently  alluding  to  the  curious  cracks  in 
the  stone,  as  now  seen.  These  allusions  probably  increased,  if  they  did  not  orig- 
inate, the  reverence  of  the  Bedawins,  who,  at  least  down  to  the  present  generation 
of  travelers,  are  described  as  muttering  their  prayers  before  it,  and  thrusting  grass 
into  the  supposed  mouths  of  the  stone.  From  the  middle  ages  onwards,  it  has  al- 
ways been  shown  to  Christian  pilgrims;  and  the  rude  ^crosses  on  the  sides,  as  well 
as  the  traces  of  stone  chipped  away,  indicate  the  long  reverence  in  which  it  has 
,been  held.  In  more  modern  times,  it  has  been  used  to  serve  the  two  opposit* 
purposes,  of  demonstrating  on  the  one  hand  the  truth  of  the  Mosaic  history,  and 
on  the  other  hand  the  lying  practices  of  the  monastic  system.  Bishop  Clayton  tri- 
umphantly quotes  it  as  a  voice  from  the  desert,  providentially  preserved  to  put  the 
infidels  of  the  eighteenth  century  to  shame.  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson  as  positively 
brings  it  forward  to  prove  the  deceptions  practiced  by  the  Greek  Church  to  secure 


326 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


the  respect  of  Arabs  and  the  visits  of  pilgrims.  It  is  one  of  the  many  instances 
in  which  both  arguments  are  equally  wrong.  It  is  evidently,  like  the  other  exam- 
ples given  above,  a  trick  of  nature,  which  has  originated  a  legend,  and,  through 
the  legend,  a  sacred  locality.  Probably  less  would  have  been  said  of  it,  had  more 
travelers  observed  what  Sir  Frederick  Henniker  alone  has  expressly  noticed,  name- 
ly, the  fragment  which  lies  in  the  same  valley,  less  conspicuous,  but  with  precise- 
ly similar  marks.  But,  taking  it  merely  for  what  it  is,  of  all  the  lesser  objects  of 
r  interest  in  Sinai,  the  Rock  of  Moses  is  the  most  remarkable ;  clothed  with  the 
longest  train  of  associations,  allied  in  thought,  though  not  in  fact,  to  the  image 
which,  of  all  others  in  the  Exodus,  has,  perhaps,  been  most  frequently  repeated  in 
the  devotion  of  Jewish  and  Christian  worship ;  of  all  the  objects  in  the  desert 
most  bound  up  with  the  simple  faith  of  its  wild  inhabitants  and  of  its  early  vis- 
itants." 

Dr.  Shaw,  who  was  here  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago,  speaks  very  seriously  of  this  rock,  and  seems  to  take  it  for 
granted,  that  as  "  neither  art  nor  chance  "  could  have  produced 
the  water-worn  channels  by  which  it  is  marked,  they  must  have 
been  produced  by  a  miraculous  flow  of  water  from  its  indenta- 
tions. Such  contradictory  opinions  having  been  expressed 
with  regard  to  this  rock,  my  curiosity  was  highly  excited,  and 
I  made  a  very  critical  examination  of  it.  The  water- worn  seam 
that  distinguishes  it  is  certainly  a  very  singular  one,  and  yet 
nothing  but  what  might  have  been  very  naturally  produced* 
had  it  ever  lain  in  a  position  where  a  current  of  running  water 
could  have  poured  over  it.  That  it  is  the  result  of  the  action 
of  water,  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt.  I  have  no  idea  any 
one  has  attempted  to  impose  on  the  credulity  of  travelers,  by 
originating  or  enlarging  any  of  its  crevices.  It  is  a  huge  gran- 
ite bowlder,  that  at  some  distant  period  has  fallen  down  from 
the  overhanging  cliffs.  The  lower  part  of  it  lies  imbedded  in 
the  sand,  gravel  and  stones  that  have  accumulated  about  it.  I 
applied  my  tape-line  to  it,  and  found  the  part  above  the  ground 
to  be  about  fifteen  feet  high,  twenty  feet  long,  and  about  ten 
feet  thick.  The  front  of  it  presented  a  flat  surface,  somewhat 
irregular,  the  top  protruding  over  in  the  form  of  a  heavy,  ir- 
regular cornice.  As  you  stand  facing  it,  near  the  right  hand' 
side,  and  running  up  and  down  a  little  obliquely,  is  a  seam  in 
the  rock  evidently  worn  by  the  action  of  running  water.  This 
seam  has  also  a  number  of  transverse  seams  lying  across  it  at 
right  angles,  and  more  deeply  indented  in  the  rock  in  the  form 


THE   SMITTEN  KOCK. 


327 


of  months,  or  rather  the  lips  of  a  closed  mouth.  There  are 
some  of  them  from  one  to  two  inches  deep.  It  is  these  mouths 
that  Shaw  and  others  speak  of  as  the  holes  in  the  rock  from 
which  the  water  probably  gushed  out.  But  they  evidently 
never  served  any  such  purpose.  They  are  simply  the  result  of 
the  action  of  the  elements  that  produced  the  upright  seam  op- 
erating upon  a  softer  portion  of  the  rock,  wearing  a  deeper 
channel. 

Passing  round  to  the  backside  of  the  rock,  by  the  aid  of  some 
other  bowlders  lying  near,  I  was  able  to  climb  upon  the  top  of 
the  rock.  I  found  the  same  seam  marking  the  top,  and  run- 
ning clear  down  the  back  side,  but  not  so  marked  and  deeply 
worn  as  on  the  front.  The  seam  is  from  six  to  ten  or  twelve 
inches  broad,  of  a  whiter  color  than  the  other  portions  of  the 
rock,  and  most  of  the  way  worn  very  slightly  into  it.  That 
this  portion  of  the  rock  has  been  subjected  to  the  action  of  run- 
ning water  cannot  be  denied.  But  when  and  where?  Certain- 
ly not  where  it  now  lies,  but  probably  before  it  was  torn  from 
its  mountain  bed.  I  think  this  seam  to  be  a  softer  portion  of 
the  rock,  that  yielded  more  readily  to  the  action  of  the  elements. 
In  confirmation  of  this,  I  found  some  portions  of  the  top  of  the 
rock  quite  soft  and  crumbling,  easily  displaced,  so  that  I  broke 
off,  without  much  difficulty,  portions  of  it  as  large  as  the  end 
of  my  finger. 

Was  this  the  rock  smitten  by  Moses  ?  To  this  we  might  re- 
ply, in  part,  by  asking  another  question :  Was  any  rock  smitten 
by  Moses  in  this  place?  We  think  not,  for  the  following 
reasons : 

1.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  necessity  for  the  production 
of  water  by  miracle  in  this  vicinity;  for,  as  we  have  before 
stated,  the  best  and  most  copious  fountains  of  the  whole  penin- 
sula are  found  about  this  mountain ;  and  at  the  very  time  we 
visited  this  sock,  a  stream  of  fresh  water  was  gurgling  along 
down  the  valley  by  it. 

2.  The  rock  smitten  by  Moses  was  in  Rephidim,  and  before 
they  came  to  Sinai.  Where  Rephidim  was  we  may  not  now  be 
able  to  tell,  but  the  narrative  plainly  informs  us  that  they 


328 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


moved  from  that  place,  and  continued  their  journey  before 
they  encamped  in  front  of  the  mount. 

3.  If  a  rock  had  been  opened  for  water  to  supply  the  en- 
campment, would  it  have  been  in  such  an  out-of-the-way  place 
as  this,  in  a  deep,  narrow,  rocky  gorge,  very  difficult  of  access, 
and  a  mile  or  two  from  the  nearest  part  of  the  camp  ? 

4.  When  God  works  miracles,  we  always  find  it  has  been  the 
order  of  his  Providence  to  make  no  unnecessary  display  of  Om- 
nipotent power,  but  to  work  by  the  simplest  means ;  generally 
producing  the  result  by  the  operation  of  known  and  natural 
agencies.  Had  a  rock  been  opened  for  the  production  of  a  flow 
of  water,  would  it  have  been  likely  to  have  been  an  isolated 
one,  where  a  perpetual  miracle  would  be  necessary — a  contin- 
ued act  of  Creative  Power  to  maintain  a  flowing  fountain? 
Would  it  not  be  much  more  likely  to  have  been  the  opening 
of  some  cleft  in  the  mountain  side,  from  which  a  copious  stream 
might  have  been  made  to  issue,  ppured  forth  from  the  inex- 
haustible fountain  the  Almighty  has  treasured  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth? 

5.  There  is  nothing  in  the  marks  upon  this  rock  necessarily 
leading  us  to  the  conclusion  that  they  must  have  been  produced 
by  a  miraculous  flow  of  water.  Indeed,  the  peculiar  character 
of  the  seam  proves  the  contrary.  Its  running  across  the  top 
of  the  rock  and  down  both  sides,  is  conclusive  it  was  worn  by 
the  action  of  water  running  over  it,  and  not  bursting  out  from 
it.  It  is  not  uncommon  in  rocky  mountain  regions  to  find  frag- 
ments of  rocks  thus  marked  by  seams  and  eddies  that  have 
been  produced  by  the  natural  action  of  the  elements.  And  if, 
as  Stanley  says,  another  rock  has  been  seen  in  this  same  valley 
with  similar  seams,  it  may  fairly  be  concluded  that  the  two 
have  been  produced  by  the  same  natural  causes. 

6.  If  it  was  necessary  to  work  a  miracle  in  this  vicinity  to 
bring  water  out  of  the  flinty  rock,  why  may  we  not  conclude 
it  was  in  some  place  easy  of  access,  on  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain next  to  the  great  encampment — the  place,  for  instance, 
just  a  few  rods  above  where  we  pitched  our  own  tents,  where 
a  copious  fountain  of  pure,  sweet  water  comes  gushing  from  a 
cleft  in  the  rocky  base  of  the  mountain  in  a  stream  sufficient  to 


THE    SMITTEN  ROCK. 


329 


supply  a  city  of  many  thousands.  As  I  stood  by  the  side  of 
that  noble  fountain,  and  looked  upon  the  strange  cleft  where 
some  superhuman  power  had  rent  the  solid  rock  asunder  to 
give  the  water  egress,  I  found  myself  almost  involuntarily  ask- 
ing: "Did  not  that  wonder-working  rod  of  Moses  have  some- 
thing to  do  with  this?"  Why  has  not  tradition  located  the 
scene  of  that  stupendous  miracle  right  here,  where  that  strange 
and  violent  opening  in  these  solid  rocks,  and  the  voice  of  those 
gushing  waters  speak  of  the  power  of  Omnipotence?  Why 
not  locate  it  here,  rather  than  upon  that  dry,  isolated  rock  in 
the  distant  valley  of  the  Leja? 

But  perhaps  I  am  devoting  too  much  time  to  this  "  rock  in 
Horeb."  I  have  done  it  because  I  know  many  feel  a  deep  inte- 
rest in  the  question,  and  are  anxious  to  have  all  the  information 
possible  upon  the  subject.  However  much  other  travelers  may 
have  been  impressed  with  the  superstitious  legend  that  has 
identified  this  with  the  rock  smitten  by  Moses,  I  cannot  for  a 
moment  entertain  the  idea.  That  a  wonderful  miracle  was 
wrought  in  bringing  water  from  the  flinty  rock,  I  have  no  doubt; 
but  I  cannot  for  a  moment  entertain  the  idea  that  this  was  the 
rock  upon  which  God  stood,  and  which  Moses  smote.  The 
locality  of  that  rock  is  lost  and  may  never  be  known  again  ;  it 
is  not  essential  it  should  be,  for  it  has  fulfilled  its  mission.  But 
it  had  a  high  and  holy  significance  as  the  type  of  Him  who  was 
to  come  after,  from  whom  should  flow  the  living  streams  that 
should  bless  the  world !  "  They  drank  of  that  spiritual  rock 
that  followed  them,  and  that  Bock  was  CHRIST."  I^ow, 
though  we  may  never  find  the  rock  of  the  wilderness,  the  true 
rock  stands  revealed  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  world,  and 
we  hear  him  saying  :  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me 
and  drink." 

Our  last  day  at  Sinai  is  drawing  to  a  close.  We  must  return 
to  our  tent,  and  make  ready  for  our  departure  early  to-morrow 
morning.  But  as  we  have  a  little  more  time  for  contemplation, 
let  us  improve  it. by  spending  an  evening  hour  in  a  walk  over 
this  great  plain  of  Rahah.  There  are  many  interesting  themes 
of  contemplation  suggested  as  one  walks  about  these  valleys, 
and  looks  upward  to  the  mountain  peaks  ;  a  hundred  questions 


330 


EGYPT  AN  D  SINAI. 


connected  with  the  wonderful  events  that  have  here  transpired, 
occur  to  the  inquiring  mind. 

AN   OBJECTION  ANSWERED. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  some  objectors  to  the  Divine  record, 
that  the  sublime  exhibitions  upon  the  mount  might  have  been 
a  deception  upon  the  part  of  Moses,  by  taking  advantage  of 
some  natural  agencies  known  only  to  himself — perhaps  the  oc- 
currence, just  at  that  particular  time,  of  some  volcanic  eruption 
and  earthquake's  shock.  I  hear  from  some  the  inquiry  :  "Did 
you  see  any  evidence,  in  your  visit  upon  the  mount,  of  the 
action  of  such  agencies." 

The  question  can  be  answered,  promptly  and  explicitly. 
Taking  the  whole  character  of  Moses  into  the  account,  we 
have  every  reason  to  conclude  he  was  not  a  man  to  practice  de- 
ceptions in  these  sacred  revelations,  had  there  been  an  oppor- 
tunity to  do  so;  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  he  could  have 
called  such  agencies  to  his  aid  had  he  desired  it.  Had  there 
ever  been  a  volcano  here,  the  traces  of  it  would  still  be  visible; 
among  these  barren  hills,  where  there  is  no  accumulation  of 
vegetation,  the  traces  of  it  would  not  be  obliterated  till  the 
end  of  time.  There  are  here  no  extinct  craters,  no  appear- 
ance of  volcanic  action,  or  of  any  eruption  or  violent  commo- 
tion of  nature  since  the  first  great  upheaval  of  the  granite 
ranges,  which  must,  as  every  geologist  will  tell  you,  have  taken 
place  many  thousands  of  years  before  Moses  set  foot  upon  the 
mountain's  side,  or  Israel  congregated  at  its  base.  "  There  are," 
says  Stanley,  "  at  first  sight,  many  appearances  which,  to  our 
unpracticed  eye,  seem  indications  of  volcanic  agency.  But 
they  are  all,  it  is  believed,  illusory.  The  vast  heaps  as  of  cal- 
cined mountains  are  only  the  detritus  of  iron  in  the  sandstone 
formation.  The  traces  of  igneous  action  on  the  granite  rocks 
belong  to  their  first  upheaving,  not  to  any  subsequent  convul- 
sions. Every  where  there  are  signs  of  the  action  of  water, 
no  where  of  fire." 

Walk  with  me  now  along  this  broad  plain.  "We  had  a  view 
of  it  as  we  stood  upon  that  lofty  peak,  and  contemplated  the 
hosts  of  Israel  upon  the  plain  below,  adoring  and  trembling  at 


VOLCANIC  AGENCY. 


331 


the  awful  display  of  Divine  majesty  and  power.  Let  us  now 
look  upward,  and  contemplate  for  a  moment  the  cloud-covered 
mount,  as  God  descended  upon  it.  Six  days  the  cloud  covered 
those  majestic  peaks,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  abode  upon 
them,  "and  the  sight  of  the  glory  of  God  was  like  a  devouring 
fire  upon  the  top  of  the  mount."  Of  all  the  scenes  man  has 
ever  been  permitted  to  witness,  none  has  equaled  this  in  awf ill- 
ness and  sublimity ;  no  other  one  has  ever  been  attended  by 
such  amazing  phenomena. 

And  now,  standing  here,  with  the  remembrance  of  all  these 
strange  exhibitions  and  revelations  full  in  mind,  it  seems  ap- 
propriate once  more  to  call  to  mind  that  great  leader  and  law- 
giver in  Israel, 

THE    MAN  MOSES. 

Contemplate  him  as  a  general,  reducing  to  order  the  undisci- 
plined mass  of  human  beings  with  whom  he  had  to  deal,  and 
marshaling  his  great  army  of  six  hundred  thousand  men ;  or 
as  a  legislator,  dictating  and  establishing  a  new  code  of  laws; 
or  as  a  religious  teacher,  instituting  a  new  order  of  worship; 
and  we  are  compelled  to  acknowledge  he  was  certainly  a  most 
wonderful  man.  We  have  seen  him  in  Egypt,  condemned  to 
death  from  his  very  birth ;  have  stood  by  the  waters  of  the  Nile, 
that  went  rippling  by  the  frail  ark  of  rushes  in  which  his  life 
was  exposed;  have  seen  him  nursed  and  educated  under  the 
shadow  of  the  throne  of  the  Pharaohs;  have  looked  upon  him 
as  he  appeared  at  the  renowned  and  powerful  court  of  Memphis, 
overawing  by  the  dignity  and  majesty  of  his  presence  the 
proudest  and  most  renowned  of  earthly  monarchs,  dictating 
terms  of  deliverance  for  his  oppressed  people. 

Now  in  these  secluded  mountain  retirements  we  meet  him 
again.  Standing  on  yonder  commanding  hights,  amid  clouds, 
darkness  and  tempest,  in  the  awful  presence  of  Divine  majesty 
and  glory,  he  holds  audience  with  the  King  of  kings.'  Con- 
template him  as  you  will,  the  triple  crown  of  warrior,  legisla- 
tor and  prophet  is  justly  his;  and  though  near  four  thousand 
years  have  passed  away,  the  lapse  of  time  has  not  diminished 
aught  of  the  radiance  that  enshrouds  him. 


332 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


We  have  stood  by  the  side  of  the  mighty  pyramids  his  co- 
temporaries  were  engaged  in  rearing;  they  are  gigantic  piles, 
yet  only  monuments  of  human  frailty,  and  tombs  of  human 
hopes.  The  superstructure  he  has  reared  is  a  far  more  endur- 
ing one.  Its  base  is  the  immutable  law  of  Jehovah,  its  sum- 
mit is  lost  in  the  glories  of  heaven.  The  founders  of  the  pyra- 
mids built  to  immortalize  their  names,  and  make  for  themselves 
a  tomb;  Moses  built  to  honor  Grod  and  elevate  man.  He  asked 
for  no  monumental  tomb,  and  God  buried  him  in  the  obscurity 
of  the  mountain  recesses  of  JSTebo,  and  his  sepulchre  no  man 
has  ever  known ;  but  his  works  are  an  everlasting  monument, 
from  which  his  name  will  never  perish. 

But  we  must  away  to  our  tents.  Another  night's  rest,  and 
we  shall  bid  a  final  adieu  to  these  sacred  localities.  Sheik  Me- 
daka  is  here  with  his  camels,  despite  his  protestations  he  would 
leave  us  to  perish  in  the  wilderness.  He  and  the  dragoman 
have  been  carrying  on  a  fearful  war  of  words,  and  the  quarrel 
of  the  old  tin  pan  has  all  been  fought  over.  They  seem  to 
have  come  to  no  settlement  to-night,  and  the  sheik  and  his  men 
have  withdrawn  in  sullen  mood  and  built  their  fire  a  little  dis- 
tance from  our  camp.  The  contest  will  be  renewed  in  the 
morning,  but  I  have  no  doubt  but  he  and  his  camels  are  to  per- 
form the  service.  This  terrible  war  of  words  seems  to  be  an 
inseparable  prelude  to  all  their  bargains. 

ROUTE    BY   AKABA   AND  PETRA. 

It  was  with  reluctance  we  made  preparations  to  retrace  our 
steps  to  Suez  and  Cairo.  "We  had  not  seen  all  we  wished  to 
see  of  Israel's  route  to  the  Holy  Land.  It  had  been  our  inten- 
tion from  the  first,  if  possible,  to  continue  our  journey  through 
the  desert  to  Akaba,  and  thence  by  Mount  Hor  and  Petra  to 
Palestine;  but  this  we  found  impracticable.  The  Arab  tribes 
about  Petra,  always  quarrelsome  and  inhospitable,  and  a  great 
annoyance  to  travelers,  have  of  late  years  become  so  engaged 
in  hostile  feuds  among  themselves,  and  so  unfriendly  and  inso- 
lent to  foreigners,  it  is  dangerous  for  travelers  to  attempt  to 
pass  through  their  territory.  While  we  were  at  Cairo,  an  En- 
glish gentleman  of  wealth,  with  a  large  retinue  of  camels  and 


DESERT    KOUTE    TO  HEBRON. 


333 


servants,  endeavored  to  negotiate  some  arrangement  before- 
hand for  passing  through  their  territory,  but  could  not  succeed, 
and  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  enterprise.  There  is  a 
shorter  and  more  direct  route  by  which  the  tourist  can  reach 
Hebron  from  Sinai,  by  striking  directly  across  the  desert,  leav- 
ing Petra  to  the  east;  but  it  is  a  long,  tedious,  desert  route,  and 
extremely  difficult  to  get  supplies,  while  there  is  nothing  to  be 
seen  in  its  whole  course  of  special  interest,  and  the  time  occupied 
is  about  thirteen  to  fourteen  days ;  so  that  it  is  much  preferable 
to  return  to  Cairo,  and  reach  the  Holy  Land  by  the  way  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea  and  Jaffa. 

When  the  route  by  Akaba  and  Petra  can  be  taken,  you  can 
leave  the  convent  under  the  escort  of  the  Tawara;  two  days' 
travel  of  nine  hours  each  will  bring  you  to  Hazeroth,  supposed 
to  be  the  third  station  of  the  Israelites  after  leaving  Sinai ;  one 
day  more  to  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Akaba,  the  ancient  Elath, 
where,  near  three  thousand  years  ago,  the  fleets  of  Solomon 
sailed,  bearing  the  gold  of  Ophir  and  the  spices  of  India  to  the 
little  kingdom  of  Israel.  From  this  about  two  and  a  half  days 
brings  the  traveler  to  the  Castle  of  Akaba.  Beyond  this  point 
the  Tawara  Arabs  are  not  allowed  to  go,  and  the  traveler  is 
handed  over  to  the  Alawin,  "an  impudent  and  lawless  set  of 
vagabonds  as  ever  a  pilgrim  had  to  deal  with."  A  few  years 
ago  travelers  had  to  bargain  with  old  Sheik  Hussein,  long 
noted  for  his  exorbitant  extortions,  and  the  little  disposition  he 
manifested  to  accommodate  travelers  after  he  had  pocketed  the 
backsheesh.  His  son,  Mohammed,  is  more  favorably  spoken 
of  by  those  who  have  had  occasion  to  deal  with  him.  The  dis- 
tance from  Akaba  to  Petra  is  about  three  days'  ride  of  nine 
hours  each ;  from  Petra  to  Hebron,  from  five  to  six  days,  accord- 
ing to  the  route  taken.  The  sums  paid  by  different  travelers 
at  different  times  to  Sheik  Hussein  are  stated  as  follows :  Kin- 
near  and  Roberts,  for  a  party  of  three  persons  from  Akaba  to 
Hebron,  for  camels,  escort,  etc.,  two  hundred  and  eighty  pias- 
ters, and  for  each  Arab  forming  the  escort,  two  hundred  and 
sixty  piasters.  Miss  Martineau  and  party,  each  person  to  pay 
one  thousand  piasters  for  escort,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  pi- 
asters over  and  above  for  every  camel  required.    Mr.  Bartlett, 


334 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


from  Akaba  to  Petra,  and  thence  back  to  Cairo,  three  thousand 
piasters,  including  every  thing.  The  price,  of  course,  varies 
materially,  according  to  the  acommodations  furnished.  In  the 
above  list  of  prices,  I  suppose  it  is  understood  the  parties  fur- 
nished their  own  servants,  provisions,  cook,  tents,  etc.,  except 
in  the  case  of  Mr.  Bartlett.  Dr.  Kobinson  paid  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  piasters  for  each  camel  from  Akaba  to  Hebron.  It 
was  with  Sheik  Hussein  Dr.  Durbin  and  his  party  had  to  deal. 
The  terms  demanded  were,  for  conveying  the  party  of  five  from 
Akaba  to  Hebron,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars  for  the 
use  of  fourteen  camels,  and  one  hundred  dollars  for  protection 
money  for  each  person.  The  price  of  the  camels  was  not  objected 
to,  but  the  payment  of  five  hundred  dollars  tribute  money  was 
stoutly  resisted,  ending  in  a  compromise,  fixing  it  at  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars.  In  1857,  travelers  began  to  encounter 
more  than  usual  difficulties  in  attempting  to  pass  through  this 
portion  of  the  country.  The  Alawin  were  engaged  in  war 
with  another  tribe,  while  the  Fellaheen  inhabiting  the  defiles 
of  Wady  Mousa — Yalley  of  Moses — along  the  entrance  to 
Petra,  manifested  an  insolence  and  rapacity  far  beyond  all 
former  experience.  Since  then  the  difficulties  have  increased, 
until  now  the  way  is  entirely  obstructed. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  follow  the  pathway  of  the  mysteri- 
ous cloud,  and  journey  over  the  track  of  the  Israelites  along 
their  desert  route,  and  see  those  portions  of  the  country  where, 
for  near  forty  years,  they  wandered  from  place  to  place,  till, 
punished  for  their  idolatry  and  unbelief,  God  strangely  led 
them  into  the  Promised  Land.  The  knowledge  of  the  particu- 
lar localities  where  the  prominent  events  in  their  history  oc- 
curred has  been  lost ;  but  it  was  on  this  route  that  the  rebellion 
of  Korah?  Dathan  and  Abiram  occurred,  who,  with  their  asso- 
ciates, met  so  signal  and  fearful  a  doom ;  on  this  route  the  bra- 
zen serpent,  the  type  of  Christ,  was  set  up,  the  remedy  for  the 
deadly  bite  of  the  fiery  serpents  their  murmurings  and  idola- 
tries had  drawn  upon  them;  on  this  route,  too,  it  was  that 
Aaron,  the  first  consecrated  high-priest,  found  his  grave. 

Among  the  places  in  this  desert  land  I  had  a  desire  to  visit 
was  one,  access  to  which  has  ever  been  difficult;  the  place 


DEATH    OF  AAEON. 


337 


which  Burckhardt  found  it  so  difficult  to  reach,  and  from  which 
Robinson  and  his  company,  by  the  lawless  sons  of  Ishmael, 
were  rudely  turned  away  without  being  allowed  to  explore.  I 
had  to  content  myself,  as  the  reader  must,  by  looking  upon  the 
picture  of  it,  and  reading  the  description  given  by  another. 
This  place  was 

MOUNT    HOR   AND    AARON'S  TOMB. 

It  is  another  of  the  places  revered  alike  by  Jew,  Christian 
and  Moslem.    Stanley  says  : 

"It  is  one  of  the  very  few  spots  connected  with  the  wanderings  of  the  Israel- 
ites which  admits  of  no  reasonable  doubt.  There  Aaron  died  in  the  presence  of 
Moses  and  Eleazer ;  there  he  was  buried ;  and  there  Eleazer  was  invested  with  the 
priesthood  in  his  stead.  The  mountain  is  marked  far  and  near  by  its  double  top, 
which  rises  like  a  huge  castellated  building  from  a  lower  base,  and  on  one  of  these 
is  the  Mohammedan  chapel,  erected  out  of  the  remains  of  some  earlier  and  more 
sumptuous  building,  over  the  supposed  grave.  There  was  nothing  of  interest 
within ;  only  the  usual  marks  of  Mussulman  devotion,  ragged  shawls,  ostrich 
eggs,  and  a  few  beads.  These  were  in  the  upper  chamber.  The  great  high-priest, 
if  his  body  be  really  there,  rests  in  a  subterraneous  vault  below,  hewn  out  of  the 
rock,  and  in  a  niche  now  cased  over  with  stone,  wood  and  plaster.  From  the  flat 
roof  of  the  chapel  we  overlooked  his  last  view — that  view  which  was  to  him 
what  Pisgah  was  to  his  brother.  To  us  the  northern  end  was  partly  lost  in  haze  ; 
but  we  saw  all  the  main  points  on  which  his  eye  must  have  rested.  He  looked 
over  the  valley  of  the  Arabah,  countersected  by  its  hundred  water-courses,  and 
beyond,  over  the  white  mountains  of  the  wilderness  they  had  so  long  traversed ; 
and  at  the  northern  edge  of  it,  there  must  have  been  visible  the  bights  through 
which  the  Israelites  had  vainly  attempted  to  force  their  way  into  the  Promised 
Land.  This  was  the  western  view.  Close  around  him  on  the  east  were  the  rug- 
ged mountains  of  Edom,  and  far  along  the  horizon  the  wide  downs  of  Mount  Sier, 
through  which  the  passage  had  been  denied  by  the  wild  tribes  of  Esau,  who 
hunted  over  their  long  slopes.  A  dreary  moment,  and  a  dreary  scene — such,  at 
any  rate,  it  must  have  seemed  to  the  aged  priest." 

I  say  it  was  with  regret  I  yielded  to  the  necessity  that  barred 
the  way  to  this  mountain  tomb.  How  much  I  should  have 
enjoyed  a  visit  to  this  spot  where  the  great  Hebrew  high- 
priest  laid  aside  his  sacerdotal  vestments,  resigned  the  honors 
of  his  high  position,  and  yielded  to  the  stern  mandate  that 
closed  his  earthly  mission.  "And  Moses  stripped  Aaron  of 
his  garments  and  put  them  upon  Eleazer,  his  son;  and  Aaron 

died  there  in  the  top  of  the  mount."    Num.  xx.  28.  Near 

> 


338 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


tins,  also,  is  that  now  ruined  and  deserted -but  once  populous 
and  wonderful 

CITY    OP  PETRA. 

Here  was'  Edom,  the  "  bloody  or  red-earth."  Here*  was 
Mount  Seir;  here,  also,  the  inheritance  of  Esau,  and  here  once 
lived  the  Horites,  a  dwellers  in  caves,"  whom  Esau  and  his  de- 
scendants displaced.  Here,  as  early  as  three  hundred  yeais 
before  Christ,  the  Nabatheans  became  the  conquerors  and  pos- 
sessors of  the  land.  They  were  an  Arab  tribe,  descended  from 
IshmaePs  eldest  son  Nebaioth.  They  became  a  numerous, 
powerful  and  commercial  people,  and  were  the  artificers  of  the 
wo  rid- renown  eel  monuments  that  are  now  the  astonishment  of 
all  who  visit  the  land.  It  is  Petra  and  the  monuments  of  its 
vicinity  that,  aside  from  Mount  Hor,  constitute  the  great  at- 
traction that  draws  the  curious  traveler  to  the  place,  and  would 
attract  hundreds  more,  were  it  not  for  the  obstacles  thrown  in 
the  way  by  the  lawless,  plundering  tribes  that  now  infest  the 
land.  The  gorgeous  coloring  of  the  rocky  cliffs,  with  their 
ever  varying  hues  of  blue,  purple  and  yellow,  are  spoken  of  as 
being  inconceivably  beautiful.  In  many  places,  these  cliffs 
have  been  carved  into  beautiful  sculptures  of  dwellings,  tombs 
and  temples.  These  tombs  are  not  only  cut  with  immense 
labor,  but  with  exquisitetaste  and  skill.  Here  are  tombs  story 
above  story,  and  numerous  labarynthine  ramifications — tombs 
of  Corinthian  mold,  of  arched  terraces,  with  Latin  inscriptions 
and  Sinaitic  inscriptions. 

As  you  come  upon  the  city,  we  are  told  that  a  single  glance 
at  the  heaps  of  hewn  stones,  broken  columns  and  mounds  of 
rubbish  that  cover  the  whole  valley,  is  sufficient  to  show  that 
every  available  spot  was  once  occupied  by  buildings.  What  is 
most  singular  is,  that  so  many  of  the  structures  here,  not  of 
tombs  merely,  but  of  public  buildings  and  dwellings,  are  hewn 
entire  from  the  rocky  cliffs  that  abound  in  the  valley.  The 
most  remarkable  one  of  all  these  is  called  "the  Deir."  This  is 
a  huge  monolythic  temple,  hewn  entire — Corinthian  columns, 
entablatures,  arches,  stairways — with  all  its  rooms  and  append- 
ages, cut  from  the  solid  rock  of  the  mountain  side — a  massive 


PROPHECY  FULFILLED. 


343 


structure,  the  lower  row  of  columns  being  seven  feet  in  diame- 
ter and  fifty  feet  high,  even  rivaling  in  point  of  magnificence 
those  of  the  renowned  temple  of  Balbeck! 

But  these  things .  we  were  not  permitted  to  see.  Toward 
them,  as  we  stood  upon  the  mountain  hights  of  Sinai,  we  cast 
long  and  earnest  glances,  but  upon  them  we  were  compelled  to 
turn  our  backs.  They  are  among  the  ruins  that  stand  as 
monumental  records  of  the  genius  and  enterprise  of  an  extinct 
nation.  They  are  a  portion  of  the  Handwriting  that  God  has 
left  in  this  wonderful  land  of  his  judgments  and  overruling 
Providence.  What  could  be  supposed  to  be  more  enduring 
than  temples  hewn  from  solid  rock?  What  people  could  have 
been  more  secure  than  those  who  were  shut  in  and  fortified 
amid  these  mountain  ramparts?  And  yet,  as  the  traveler  comes 
and  wanders  among  these  ruins,  sits  down  amid  their  solitude 
and  silence,  and  gazes  upon  their  crumbling,  moldering  monu- 
ments, he  reads,  as  if  re-written  by  the  finger  of  the  Almighty, 
the  declarations  recorded  by  the  prophets:  "Thorns  shall 
come  up  in  her.  palaces,  nettles  and  brambles  in  the  fortresses 
thereof  ....  When  the  whole  earth  rejoiceth,  I  will  make 
thee  desolate  ....  Thou  shalt  be  desolate,  0  Mount  Seir, 
and  all  Idumea,  even  all  of  it  ...  .  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  they  shall  build  and  I  will  throw  down  ....  Thy  ter- 
ribleness  hath  deceived  thee,  and  the  pride  of  thine  heart,  0 
thou  that  dwellest  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  that  boldest  the  hights 
of  the  hill ;  though  thou  shouldst  make  thy  nest  as  high  as  the 
eagle,  I  will  bring  thee  down  from  thence,  saith  the  Lord. 
Also,  Eclom  shall  be  a  desolation,  every  one  that  goeth  by  it  shall 
be  astonished"    Isa.,  Jer.,  Ezekiel. 

BREAKING    UP    OP    THE  CAMP. 

March  6th.  Again  the  morning  dawns  upon  us,  but  the 
night  has  added  another  to  the  interesting  variety  of  incidents 
that  has  characterized  our  stay  at  the  mount.  This  was  the 
fall  of  a  slight  shower  of  rain,  the  first  we  have  seen  since  we 
left  Egypt.  But  little  rain  fell,  scarce  enough  to  wet  the  can- 
vas of  our  tent ;  but  what  to  me  was  of  particular  interest,  it 
was  accompanied  by  one  broad  flash  of  lightning  and  a  heavy 


344  EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 

clap  of  thunder.  As  the  thunders  woke  the  echoes  of  the 
mountain  cliffs,  and  reverberated  from  peak  to  peak,  how  forci- 
bly it  reminded  us  of  those  grand  exhibitions  of  Divine  power, 
that  near  four  thousand  years  ago  had  been  enacted  on  these 
very  bights.  Slender  as  our  tent  was,  and  poorly  as  we  were  pre- 
pared to  endure  a  storm,  I  should  have  been  sorry  to  miss  this 
interesting  little  episode  in  our  stay  at  the  mount,  by  which  we 
were  carried  back  to  the  scene  of  the  giving  of  the  law,  and 
reminded  of  the  thunderings  and  the  lightnings  that  there  ac- 
companied the  appearance  of  God  in  his  majestic  descent  upon 
Sinai. 

Our  dragoman  called  us  at  half-past  4  o'clock,  that  we  might 
be  ready  for  an  early  start.  As  we  had  supposed,  our  old  sheik, 
Medaka,  with  his  attendants,  proceeded  to  pack  our  camp 
equipage  upon  the  Jbacks  of  his  camels,  though  it  was  accom- 
panied by  a  wonderful  war  of  words,  and  a  great  amount  of 
wrangling  and  violent  gesticulation.  Quite  a  number  of  Arab 
men  and  boys  gathered  around  to  witness  our  departure,  but 
they  were  all  respectful,  and  there  was  no  clamoring  for  back- 
sheesh. Children  and  women,  during  our  stay,  often  made 
earnest  solicitation  for  it;  one  woman,  in  particular,  threw  back 
the  folds  of  her  dress,  and  exposing  the  head  of  her  little  squalid 
looking  infant,  laid  her  hand  imploringly  upon  it,  and  begged 
for  a  few  paras. 

Notwithstanding  our  vigorous  efforts  for  an  early  start,  it 
was  near  8  o'clock  before  all  was  in  readiness  and  our  camp 
was  in  motion. 

FAREWELL   TO  SINAI. 

We  had  come  in  by  the  Valley  of  Eahah ;  we  took  our  de- 
parture by  the  Y alley  es  Sheik.  We  left  our.  camels  and 
walked  on  some  distance  down  the  valley.  We  looked  back 
again  and  again,  and  gazed  long  and  earnestly  upon  the  tail 
peaks  of  Sinai,  as  they  stood  in  towering  grandeur,  kindled  by 
the  glory  of  the  morning  sunlight.  For  near  three  miles  down 
the  valley  the  frowning  summit  of  Horeb  remained  full  in 
view,  and  we  could  not  but  think  how  from  this  valley,  as  well 
as  from  Kahah,  the  tented  hosts  of  Israel  must  have  witnessed 


DEPARTURE    FROM  SINAI. 


345 


the  sublime  descent  of  God  upon  that  lofty  peak.  At  last  a 
bend  in  the  valley  brought  the  circling  hills  in  a  closer  amphi- 
theatre about  us.  We  turned,  and  gazed  and  gazed,  as  the 
mountain  gradually  vanished  from  our  sight.  It  was  with  a 
feeling  of  regret  we  turned  away,  impressed  with  the  thought 
that  we  should  see  it  no  more. 

Farewell,  thou  Mount  of  God  !  Thy  visitants  come  and  go, 
and  they  may  die  and  be  forgotten,  but  thou  remainest  forever 
the  same.  The  purple  sunlight  of  autumn,  and  the  kindling 
glories  of  spring  bring  no  changes  for  thee.  Thy  towering 
crags  expose  their  naked  breasts  to  the  blue  sky,  defying  alike 
the  wintry  storm  and  the  lightning's  scathing  blast.  Thy  sub- 
lime and  monumental  peaks  stand  enthroned  amid  perpetual 
silence  and  solitude.  Thou  hast  no  wooded  dells;  no  green 
slopes;  no  perfume  of  flowers,  or  song  of  birds.  Thine  orna- 
ments are  frowning  cliffs,  overhanging  crags,  and  solitary 
glens.  But  thou  hast  an  everlasting  name,  as  thou  art  an  ever- 
lasting monument.  Hither  have  I  traced  the  overruling  provi- 
dence of  God,  guiding  the  pen  of  human  genius  and  art  in  the 
records  of  forgotten  tombs  and  sculptured  tablets.  On  thee  I 
have  seen  the  finger  of  God  writing  upon  tables  of  stone  his 
own  unchanging  and  everlasting  law.  0,  Sinai,  what  lessons 
thou  hast  taught  the  human  race!  What  imposing  architec- 
ture stamps  thy  majestic  pile !  God's  mighty  cathedral — his  pa- 
vilion of  glory!  Jehovah's  presence  thine  unapproachable 
light,  his  rolling  thunders  the  solemn  anthem  bell  that  sum- 
moned the  audience !  Was  it  not  for  this  purpose  God  reared 
thee  on  high,  a  mighty  altar,  from  the  deep  foundations  of  the 
solid  globe?  The  great  drama  completed,  the  law  given,  the 
new  dispensation  established — once  sanctified  by  the  presence 
of  the  Amighty — he  has  gathered  around  thee  these  barren 
hills,  these  wide  wastes  of  desolate  and  gloomy  sands,  these 
lofty  defenses  of  solitary  mountains,  and  shut  thee  out  from  the 
busy  world,  for  thou  art  never  to  be  used  again !  In  thine  own 
solitude  and  silence  thou  standest,  an  everlasting  preacher — a 
perpetual  memorial  of  God's  revelation  of  himself  to  man ! 
Thanks  for  the  lessons  thou  hast  taught  me.  Mount  of  the 
living  God,  Farewell!  Farewell! 
20 


846 


KGYPT  AND  SINAI,. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Return   to    Suez — Ancient   Egyptian   Ruins — Arrival  at 
Cairo — Concluding  Remarks. 

March  7th.  A  violent  altercation  took  place  this  morning 
among  onr  camel  drivers  and  the  sheik,  in  which  I  observed 
the  dragoman  took  no  part.  He  afterwards  informed  us  it  was 
because  there  were  more  men  and  camels  than  were  needed. 
One  was  to  be  dispensed  with,  and  it  was  difficult  to  decide  who 
should  leave.  It  seems  this  business  of  transporting  travelers 
is  considered  as  belonging  to  the  tribe,  and,  therefore,  the  labor 
is  divided  among  as  many  as  possible,  and  each  one  is  anxious 
to  share  in  the  gains.  One  man  proposed  to  leave,  and  the 
sheik  offered  to  compromise  with  him  by  paying  him  one  dol- 
lar and  a  quarter.  With  this  he  was  not  satisfied.  He,  how- 
ever, left;  but  how  it  was  settled  we  did  not  learn.  We  re- 
gretted his  leaving,  for  he  had  a  milch  camel,  and  having  had 
a  taste  of  the  beverage  in  our  tea  and  coffee,  we  had  formed  the 
purpose  of  sponging  a  little  daily,  from  the  baby  camel  for  our 
own  use. 

THE    GRAVE   OF    THE  SHEIK. 

Soon  after  starting  this  morning  we  passed  another  Bedawin 
burying-ground.  It  had  no  inclosure,  and  each  grave  was  dis- 
tinguished by  a  heap  of  stones  at  the  head,  and  another  at  the 
foot.  It  was  a  desolate,  cheerless  looking  place,  amid  the  pro- 
found solitude  and  silence  of  the  naked  desert;  and  yet  I  won- 
dered if  there  had  not  been  shed  upon  those  bleak,  hard-fea- 
tured, formless  graves  as  honest  tears  of  genuine  sorrow  as 
any  that  ever  fell  amid  the  sculptured  marble  and  blooming 
flowers  of  Laurel  Hill  or  Mount  Auburn. 


CLIMBING   A  MOUNTAIN. 


347 


One  grave  attracted  particular  attention.  It  was  distin- 
guished by  a  monument  in  the  usual  Moslem  form,  and  over 
this  had  recently  been  placed  a  canopy  of  long,  brown  weeds, 
as  a  mark  of  special  honor;  upon  these  several  different  colored- 
strings  and  sticks  had  been  hung.  This  was  "  the  grave  of  the 
Sheik" — the  resting  place  of  a  holy  man — and  the  earth  that 
touched  it  became  holy  also.  It  was  but  a  few  steps  from  our 
road,  and  our  sheik  and  drivers  hastily  ran  up  to  it,  snatched 
from  it,  each,  a  handful  of  earth,  sprinkled  it  upon  their  own 
heads  and  rubbed  it  upon  the  heads  of  their  camels.  In  taking 
the  dust,  each  gathered  a  handful  from  another  place  and  threw 
it  back  upon  the  grave,  that  the  supply  of  holy  earth  might  not 
be  exhausted. 

March  8th.  We  encamped  last  night  in  Wady  Kemileh. 
Our  first  two  days'  ride  had  so  weaned  us  we  could  scarcely 
sleep.  The  morning  was  clear,  cool  and  invigorating,  and  we 
were  soon  ready  for  another  day's  ride.  We  had  come  this 
way  to  visit  some  interesting  ruins  upon  the  summit  of  a  moun- 
tain called 

SURABIT   EL  KHADIM. 

We  had  talked  with  our  dragoman  several  times  about  seeing 
this  mountain,  and  understood  we  were  traveling  this  way  for 
that  purpose.  We  knew  that  a  diagonal  road  turned  off  from 
our  main  path,  and  by  this  detour  the  mountain  was  usually 
reached.  We  rode  on,  expecting  to  be  led  to  it,  when  we  found 
we  were  likely  to  pass  it,  leaving  it  a  mile  or  two  to  our  left. 
Suspecting  something  wrong,  we  inquired  of  our  dragoman  if 
we  were  not  going  to  visit  the  mountain.  He  replied,  "he  did 
not  know  we  wanted  to  go  to  it,  he  thought  we  only  wanted  to 
see  it."  This  was  an  interpretation  of  language  we  had  not  an- 
ticipated, and  to  correct  the  blunder,  or  rather  the  deception — 
for  I  believe  it  was  an  artifice  of  his  to  save  three  or  four  hours' 
time — we  were  forced  to  make  a  direct  turn  from  our  road  to 
the  mountain.  A  half  hours'  ride,  however,  brought  us  to  its 
base.  The  mountain  is  about  seven  hundred  feet  high,  and  one 
of  our  drivers  acting  as  guide,  we  immediately  commenced  the 
ascent. 


348 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


This  we  found  a  more  difficult  task  than  we  had  anticipated. 
It  was  near  midday,  and  the  sun's  rays  were  reflected  from  the 
heated  rocks  with  an  intensity  that,  at  times,  almost  suffocated 
us.  Our  pathway  lay  along  shelving,  precipitous  rocks,  where 
we  could  scarce  retain  a  foothold,  sometimes  with  difficulty 
holding  on  with  our  hands;  and  this,  too,  in  many  places  where 
a  misstep  would  have  been  hazardous,  not  only  to  limb,  but  to 
life  itself.  The  mountain  is  sandstone,  and,  in  some  places,  has 
been  much  worn,  by  the  action  of  water  into  most  singular  and 
fantastic  shapes.  In  several  places,  the  face  of  the  rocks  looked 
like  a  net  work  of  iron. 

After  three-fourths  of  an  hour's  hard  climbing,  we  found  our- 
selves upon  the  summit.  On  searching  for  the  ruins,  they  were 
no  where  to  be  seen.  Looking  across  a  deep  ravine,  we  saw  the 
scattered  heaps  upon  an  opposite  peak.  Our  guide  had  made 
a  mistake,  and  led  us  up  the  wrong  ascent.  It  appeared  but  a 
short  distance  across  to  the  ruins,  but  a  deep  valley  intervened, 
and  we  had  learned  enough  of  the  deception  of  these  moun- 
tain passes  not  to  trust  our  eyes. 

Down  we  went,  clambering  along  the  rocks — down,  down, 
until  at  last  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  deep  ravine,  and 
again  we  commenced  the  ascent.  This'  blunder  of  our  guide 
was  extremely  provoking,  and  cost  us  much*  hard  labor.  At 
last,  every  thread  of  our  under-clothes  wet  with  perspiration, 
we  reached  the  summit  of  the  right  peak.  The  top  was  a 
broad,  oblong  plain,  containing  one  or  two  acres, 

THE  RUINS 

Were  more  extensive  and  of  more  interest  than  we  had  an- 
ticipated. They  are  considered  some  of  the  most  remarkable, 
as  well  as  the  most  ancient,  of  any  in  the  peninsula.  Dr.  Rob- 
inson's description  of  them  is  so  accurate,  we  have  taken  the 
liberty  to  copy  from  him : 

' 1  They  lie  mostly  within  the  compass  of  a  small  inclosure,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  long  hy  seventy  broad,  marked  by  heaps  of  stone  thrown  or  fallen  to- 
gether, the  remains,  perhaps,  of  former  walls,  or  rows  of  low  buildings.  Within 
this  space  are  seen  about  fifteen  upright  stones,  like  tombstones,  and  several  fallen 
ones,  covered  with  Egyptian  hieroglyphics ;  and  also  the  remains  of  a  small  tem- 
ple, whose  columns  are  decorated  with  the  head  of  Isis  for  a  capital.    At  the  east- 


KUINS    IN    THE  DESERT. 


349 


ern  end  is  a  subterraneous  chamber,  excavated  in  the  solid  rock,  resembling  an 
Egyptian  sepulchre.  It  is  square  ;  and  the  roof  is  supported  in  the  middle  by  a 
square  column  left  from  the  rock.  Both  the  column  and  tho  side  of  the  chamber 
are  covered  with  hieroglyphics  ;  and  in  each  of  the  sides  is  a  small  niche.  The 
whole  surface  of  the  inclosure  is  covered  with  fallen  columns,  fragments  of  sculp- 
ture and  hewn  stones,  strewn  in  every  direction ;  over  which  the  pilgrim  can,  with 
difficulty,  find  his  way.  Other  similar  upright  stones  stand  without  the  inclosure 
in  various  directions,  and  even  at  some  distance  ;  each  surmounted  by  a  heap  of 
stones,  which  may  have  been  thrown  together  by  the  Arabs.  These  upright  stones, 
both  within  and  without  the  inclosure,  vary  from  about  seven  to  ten  feet  in  hight ; 
while  they  are  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  in  breadth,  and  from  fourteen  to 
sixteen  inches  in  thickness.  They  are  rounded  off  on  the  top,  forming  an  arch 
over  the  broadest  sides.  On  one  of  these  sides  usually  appears  the  common  Egyp- 
tian symbol  of  the  winged  globe  with  two  serpents,  and  one  or  more  priests  pre- 
senting offerings  to  the  gods ;  while  various  figures  and  cartouches  cover  the  re- 
maining sides." 

ORIGIN    OF   THE  RUINS. 

While  such  are  the  ruins  that  are  now  found  upon  this  ele- 
vated out-of-the-way  place,  the  question  arises :  "  When,  and 
by  whom,  were  these  structures  built?"  They  were  not  the 
work  of  Christians,  or  of  the  solitary  anchorites,  who,  in  the 
early  ages  of  Christianity,  made  homes  and  sepulchres  among 
these  gloomy  hills.  They  are  evidently  of  Egyptian  origin, 
and  of  a  date  long  anterior  to  the  Christian  era.  The  tablets 
are  covered  with  Egyptian  heiroglyphics,  some  of  them  of  a 
very  ancient  date.  The  names  of  several  Egyptian  kings  are 
found  on  these  stones ;  among  them  Osirtasseen,  1740  years 
B.  C. ;  Thothmes  III  and  IY;  Eemeses  the  Great;  Eemeses 
IY  and  Y;  the  latest  one  found  being  that  of  Eemeses  YI. 
The  place  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  temple  or  sacred  inclos- 
ure for  worship,  and  that  these  sculptured  tablets  were  erected 
in  honor  of  the  successive  sovereigns  of  Egypt,  according  to 
their  succession. 

But  the  question  again  arises :  "  Why  were  they  built,  and 
for  what  purpose  were  the  people  that  built  them  here?"  The 
k  solution  of  this  is  found  in  the  supposed  existence  of  copper 
mines  in  this  immediate  vicinity.  We  have  before  spoken  of 
such  mines  in  Wady  Magarah,  and  of  the  inscriptions  left 
there  by  the  ancient  workmen.  The  mines  in  this  vicinity  are 
not  now  known,  but  the  evidences  of  such  mines  having  been 


350 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


worked  still  remain.  Lepsius  tells  us  that  he  observed  in  the 
vicinity  of  these  ruins  great  slag  hills  of  a  dark  color,  with 
traces  of  ancient  roads  leading  into  the  neighboring  mountains. 
These  show  that  extensive  copper  mines  existed  somewhere 
near,  and  that  this  was  a  place  chosen  for  smelting  operations. 
'Not  far  from  this,  to  the  westward,  he  also  found  some  places 
formerly  used  for  smelting  purposes. 

From  these  statements,  it  appears  that  as  early  or  before  the 
time  of  the  Exodus,  men  of  science  and  art,  probably  from 
Egypt,  had  penetrated  among  these  hills,  and  opened  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  for  their  hidden  treasures.  Here  miners 
lived  and  toiled — here  built  their  temples  and  worshiped  their 
deities.  It  is  supposed  these  mines  were  finally  abandoned  as  i 
early  as  1170  years  before  Christ. 

Our  excursion  upon  these  mountains,  added  to  a  long  day's 
ride,  was  very  fatiguing;  we  welcomed  the  return  of  night,  and 
the  cot  bed  of  the  desert  seemed  to  us  softer  than  the  eider 
down  of  a  kingly  palace.  In  this  sterile  desert,  one  seldom 
meets  with  any  thing  that  has  life,  but  to-day  we  saw  two 
quails,  much  like  our  American  quails,  except  that  the  color 
was  more  like  the  sands  amon^  which  they  lived. 

March  10.  Some  trouble  and  delay  were  occasioned  in  the 
camp  this  morning.  One  of  our  dromedaries  took  it  into  his 
head  during  the  night  to  escape  from  servitude.  He  was  no 
where  to  be  found,  and  it  was  clear  he  had  run  away.  One  of 
the  pack  camels  had  to  be  substituted,  and  his  load  apportioned 
among  the  rest,  while  one  of  the  drivers  was  dispatched  to 
search  for  the  fugitive. 

k  Soon  after  starting,  we  met  a  caravan  of  nearly  one  hundred 
camels.  They  were  divided  into  squads  of  eighteen  to  twenty- 
five  each,  with  several  drivers  for  each  company.  They  had 
been  to  Suez  or  Cairo  for  supplies  for  the  Arabs  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  peninsula,  and  were  mostly  loaded  with  grain. 

A    GRAVE    OF    A  HORSE. 

About  half  way  between  Wady  Useit  and  Ghurundel,  we 
passed  a  cairn,  or  pile  of  stones  and  dirt,  said  to  be  the  grave  of 
the  horse  of  Abou  Zennab — his  horse  killed  in  battle.  All 


SINGULAR  CUSTOMS. 


351 


concerning  him  seems  to  have  passed  from  the  memory  of  the. 
Arabs,  except  that  he  left  a  request,  or  command,  that  every 
one  that  passed  should  throw  a  stone  or  some  sand  on  the  pile, 
and  say  :  "  Eat,  0  horse  of  Abou  Zennah  !  " 

Just  before  reaching  this,  we  passed  another  pile  of  stones 
in  a  little  hollow  by  the  roadside,  upon  which  one  or  two  of 
our  drivers  cast  a  stone.  I  inquired  what  it  meant,  but  none 
of  them  could  give  any  account  of  it,  except  the  Arabs  throw 
stones  on  the  pile,  and  say  :  "  Arise,  0  man  !  " 

Boon  after  leaving  the  pile  that  perpetuates  the  memory  of 
the  horse,  we  came  to  another  similar  pile  of  stones  by  the  road- 
side, which  our  dragoman  said  was  the  grave  of  a  guilty  couple, 
convicted  of  a  violation  of  the  laws  of  chastity.  They  were 
slain,  and  buried  here,  and  the  Arabs  throw  stones  upon  the 
grave,  and  thus  heap  reproach  upon  the  memory  of  the  guilty 
parties. 

As  we  rode  on  we  ascended  an  eminence,  and  caught  a  view 
of  the  Red  Sea.  It  was  an  animating  sight,  and  we  hailed  it 
with  joy,  as  indicative  of  our  near  approach  to  a  land  of  civil- 
ization. About  12  o'clock  we  came  again  to  the  supposed 
place  of  Israel's  encampment  by  the  fountains  and  the  palm 
trees  of  Elim.  Here  we  stopped  to  take  our  noon -day  lunch, 
and  here  we  were  initiated,  by  one  of  our  attendants,  into  the 
Arab  method  of 

MAKING  BREAD. 

The  process  is  a  very  expeditious  and  simple  one.  A  few 
small  sticks  of  brush  and  dry  roots  were  collected,  a  small  space 
leveled  upon  the  sand,  and  the  tire  kindled.  While  the  sticks 
were  being  reduced  to  coals,  a  few  handful s  of  flour  were  put 
into  a  small  wooded  bowl  that  answered  the  purpose  of  a 
kneading  trough,  a  little  salt  thrown  in  and  sufficient  water  to 
wet  it.  The  whole  was  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  hands. 
The  ball  of  dough  was  then  laid  upon  a  cloth  and  patted  out 
with  the  hands  into  a  thin  cake,  looking  much  like  a  New 
England  short-cake.  By  the  time  the  dough  was  kneaded  the 
fire  was  ready;  the  coals  were  raked  aside  with  a  stick;  the 
cake,  by  the  aid  of  both  hands  beneath  it,  carefully  laid  upon 


352 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI, 


•the  hot  sand,  and  the  coals  and  ashes  raked  over  it.  Here  it 
was  allowed  to  lie  six  or  seven  minutes.  The  lire  was  then 
raked  off',  the  cake  turned,  and  the  coals  and  hot  ashes  again 
covered  over  it.  In  about  twelve  minutes  after  it  was  put  into 
the  fire,  it  came  out  full  baked.  The  ashes  and  sand  were 
shaken  and  brushed  off,  and  it  was  laid  before  us  as  a  part  of 
our  IudcIi.  We  were  surprised  at  the  facility  with  which  the 
work  was  done,  the  whole  process  occupying  but  little  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

This  bread  came  out  of  the  ashes  not  only  astonishingly 
clean,  but  the  flavor  was  unusually  sweet.  We  not  only  ate  it 
with  a  relish,  but  after  having  lived  so  long  on  dry  brown 
bread,  we  wished  for  more.  This  simple  process  of  making 
bread,  we  suppose  was  an  illustration  of  the  manner  in  which 
old  Abraham  baked  his  bread  on  the  plains  of  Mamre,  four 
thousand  years  ago,  when  he  entertained  the  angels.  We  also 
thought  we  had  learned  the  use  and  necessity  of  the  kneading 
troughs  of  the  Israelites,  which  they  carried  with  them  when 
they  went  out  of  Egypt.  This  was  the  way  they  baked  their 
bread  in  the  wilderness,  and  this  is  the  way  the  Arab  tribes 
have  baked  it  ever  since. 

During  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  fountain  of  Marah,  with 
its  bitter  water,  and  a  few  miles  beyond  it,  encamped  for  the 
night.  Toward  morning,  the  man  who  went  in  search  of  the 
runaway  camel  came  in,  bringing  the  deserter  with  him.  A 
simple  breakfast  of  ham  and  eggs  was  dispatched,  and  again 
we  were  on  our  way,  anxious  to  escape  from  this  dreary  wilder- 
ness. Towards  night  the  wind  increased,  and  the  sands  came 
driving  like  snow  across  the  open  plain ;  we  were  under  the 
necessity  of  covering  our  eyes,  and  the  camels  seemed  to  be 
nearly  blinded  by  it.  The  whole  air  was  thick  and  dark,  and 
we  could  see  but  a  few  rods  in  any  direction.  The  night  came 
on  cold  and  dreary.  We  could  find  jio  shelter  of  bush,  bank 
or  hill,  behind  which  to  pitch  our  tent.  About  5  o'clock  we 
camped  on  the  open  plain,  the  wind  driving  up  furiously  from 
the  direction  of  the  sea.  For  sometime  I  feared  the  men 
would  not  be  able  to  make  our  tent  stand.  At  last,  by  the  help 
of  extra  ropes,  it  was  made  fast,  and  poor  as  the  shelter  was, 


LAST    DVAY    IN    THE  DESERT. 


353 


we  were  glad  to  take  refuge  in  it  from  the  driving  storm  of 
sand. 

The  cook  contrived  to  kindle  his  charcoal  fire,  and  from  the 
remnant  of  our  stock  of  chickens  prepared  us  a  comfortable 
supper,  which  we  ate  with  a  hearty  relish,  though  well  pep- 
pered with  the  drifting  sand.  One  can  scarcely  conceive  a 
more  dreary  and  cheerless  condition  than  a  camp  at  such  a  time 
and  in  such  a  place — the  sands  drifting  about  you,  and  the  folds 
of  your  little  cloth  tenement  flapping  and  snapping  in  the 
wind,  the  frail  ropes  strained  to  their  utmost  tension,'  liable 
every  moment  to  snap  asunder,  and  leave  all  to  the  mercy 
of  the  tempest.  But  it  is  our  last  night  in  the  desert.  A  half- 
day's  ride  will  bring  us  to  Suez.  Cheered  with  the  thought 
that  we  were  so  near  our  journey's  end,  we  lay  down  to  rest, 
and  despite  the  cheerlessness  of  our  condition,  were  soon  enjoy- 
ing a  profound  slumber. 

ARRIVAL   AT  SUEZ. 

March  12th.  The  wind  this  morning  has  considerably  abated. 
It  is  the  last  day  of  our  camel  riding.  At  10  o'clock,  Moses' 
Wells  appeared  in  sight  on  a  distant  elevation,  about  one  hour 
ahead  of  us,  and  far  beyond  Suez  was  in  full  view,  looking  pre- 
cisely like  a  great  clump  of  trees  on  the  sea-shore,  though  there 
is  not  a  tree  in  the  place.    Hail,  cheerful  sight! 

At  1  o'clock  we  reached  the  landing  opposite  Suez,  sent  our 
camels  and  baggage  round  the  head  of  the  gulf,  and  signaled 
for  a  boat  to  come  and  again  ferry  us  over  the  waters  that,  in 
ancient  times,  divided  their  yielding  waves  to  make  a  highway 
for  the  ransomed  people  of  God.  While  waiting,  we  took  the 
opportunity  of  refreshing  ourselves  after  our  long  and  dusty 
ride  by  an  invigorating  bath  in  the  waters  of  the  sea;  and  if, 
after  your  long  and  intimate  association  with  camels  and  Beda- 
win,  old  saddles  and  old  blankets,  you  find  a  few  stray  denizens 
of  the  camp  have  taken  up  their  residence  in  your  apparel, 
don't  be  alarmed.  A  few  changes  of  clean  linen  will  set  things 
all  to  rights.  A  remnant  of  one  of  the  great  plagues  of  the 
Exodus  still  cleaves  to  Egypt  and  the  desert,  sometimes  to  the 
great  annoyance  of  the  traveler. 


354 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


The  waters  were  passed.  It  being  low  tide,  our  boat  could 
not  reach  the  landing,  and  we  were  carried  on  shore,  sitting 
astride  the  shoulders  of  an  Arab  boatman,  holding  on  with 
both  hands  clasped  about  his  forehead.  The  first  thing  I  did, 
was  to  hasten  to  the  reading-room  of  the  European  hotel,  in 
search  of  home  news.  I  found  London  papers  of  February 
24th,  containing  a  summary  of  American  news  to  February 
13th.  Though  just  one  month  old,  it  was  all  news  to  me,  and 
I  devoured  it  with  the  eagerness  a  famishing  man  would  his 
meal. 

ADIEU    TO   ARABS   AND  CAMELS. 

March  13th.  Our  tent  life  in  the  desert  is  over.  Thanks  to 
modern  art  and  enterprise,  Cairo,  instead  of  three  day's  weary 
camel  ride  across  the  desert,  can  now  be  reached  by  railroad  in 
a  few  hours.  We  took  leave  this  morning  of  our  camel  drivers 
and  sheik,  we  to  visit  other  lands  and  other  bible  scenes;  they 
to  return  to  their  solitary  desert  homes.  Dreary  and  forbidding 
it  indeed  seemed  to  us ;  but  to  its  scanty  fare  and  cheerless  sands 
they  were  born  and  bred,  and  there,  in  comparative  content- 
ment, they  live. 

The  sheik  pressed  his  claim  quite  importunately  for  a  back- 
sheesh, but  our  bargain  with  our  dragoman  had  been  so  ex- 
plicit, we  determined  not  to  depart  from  it.  Believing  we  had 
paid  our  dragoman  sufficient  to  allow  him  to  fully  compensate 
his  employees,  to  him  we  referred  our  desert  guide.  In  all  our 
intercourse  with  him  and  his  men,  we  found  them  kind  and 
obliging;  would  that  we  could  command  a  richer  blessing  on 
them  than  the  Prophet  has  power  to  give — the  blessing  of  that 
Savior  whose  knowledge  maketh  rich.  Among  the  remem- 
brances of  our  visit  to  the  Mount  of  God,  the  erect  form,  pleas- 
ant countenance,  and  kindly  greetings  of  Sheik  Medaka  will 
hold  a  conspicuous  place. 

RIDE   TO  CAIRO. 

At  half-past  3  o'clock  our  train  was  in  motion — Suez  and  the 
sea  faded  away  behind  us — the  desert,  like  a  mighty  ocean, 
once  more  closed  around  us.    Again  we  hailed  with  joy  the 


COMPORTS    OF    A  HOTEL. 


355 


cheerful  sight  of  the  green  valley  of  the  Nile,  the  walls,  mina- 
rets and  citadel  of  Grand  Cairo !  Again,  the  doors  of  the  Eu- 
ropean hotel  opened  for  our  reception,  and  we  were  among  En- 
glish and  American  friends.  That  night,  as  I  laid  my  head 
ouce  more  upon  a  pillow  in  a  good  bed,  and  in  a  comfortable 
room,  after  having  slept  seventeen  -nights  in  a  tent,  and  endured 
the  toil  and  fatigue  of  desert  life,  the  incense  of  gratitude  went 
up  from  my  heart  to  Almighty  God,  whose  protecting  care  I 
had  enjoyed,  and  by  whose  kind  Providence  I  had  been  granted 
a  safe  return. 

CONCLUSION. 

Our  stay  in  this  land  of  antiquities  is  about  to  close.  How 
many  places  of  interest  we  have  been  allowed  to  visit !  How 
many  lessons  we  have  learned !  We  have  seen  Egypt  and  Si- 
nai; have  stood  amid  the  moldering  ruins  of  the  one,  and  the 
stern  grandeur  and  impressive  sublimity  of  the  other.  "We 
have  walked  over  the  land  of  Israel's  bondage,  gazed  upon  the 
sea  that  opened  its  waters  for  their  deliverance ;  traversed  the 
desert  in  which  God  sustained  them,  and  climbed  the  mount 
that  trembled  at  his  presence !  We  have  ascended  the  pyra- 
mids, and  felt  the  vanity  of  human  greatness,  and  the  uncer- 
tainty of  human  hopes.  The  Sphinx  has  preached  to  us;  the 
fallen  statue  of  Remeses  has  been  our  instructor;  we  have 
walked  over  the  ruins  of  On  and  Noph,  and  strange  voices  have 
we  heard  amid  their  desolate  solitudes !  Ancient  tablets  have 
spoken  to  us,  and  tombs  have  been  eloquent  with  sermons  and 
lectures.  We  have  read  the  Handwriting  of  God  and  seen  the 
traces  of  the  foot-prints  of  Deity ! 

Truly,  this  land  is  one  of  God's  great  historic  books.  Here  he 
has  written  lessons  for  all  coming  posterity,  and  page  after  page 
is  now  being  unfolded  and  read.  Their  dead  men  speak,  and 
stones  come  up  and  testify.  A  signet  ring  from  the  vault  of 
an  ancient  tomb,  the  inscription  upon  which  centuries  of  decay 
have  not  been  able  to  deface,  fixes  the  reign  of  a  king,  and  de- 
termines the  date  of  an  important  event.  Bricks  of  unburn t 
clay,  torn  up  from  some  long  buried  ruins,  speak  of  Israel's 
bondage  and  labor.    A  planetary  configuration  upon  the  crum- 


356 


EGYPT    AND  SINAI. 


bling  walls  of  some  ruined  palace  or  temple,  fixes  an  important 
era  in  chronology.  Household  implements,  workmen's  utensils, 
articles  of  apparel  and  ornaments,  remnants  of  idols,  broken 
altars  and  paraphernalia  of  worship,  preserved  in  tombs  and 
sarcophagi,  and  recovered  from  the  long  buried  ruins  of  cities, 
tell  us  how  four  thousand  years  ago  men  lived,  thought,  felt, 
labored  and  worshiped.  Here  we  are  taken  back  to  the  infancy 
of  history — to  the  days  of  Abraham's  journeyings,  Israel's 
bondage,  and  Moses'  mission.  "We  learn  how  he  was  selected 
by  the  Almighty  to  transmit  to  posterity  the  ancient  history 
of  the  world.  "We  learn  that  as  early  as  seven  hundred  years 
after  the  food,  and  but  little  more  than  two  hundred  after 
Noah's  death,  here  was  a  people  ruled  by  a  king,  with  laws,  lit- 
erature and  religion.  We  see  how  Manetho  and  the  Egyptian 
monuments  unite  to  substantiate  the  truth  of  what  Moses  has 
written,  and  how  recent  developments  are  settling  chronolog- 
ical dates  and  historic  facts  with  astonishing  precision.  Sure- 
ly, the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  in  all  these  things.  He  who  formed 
the  earth  and  the  world,  though  vailed  in  clouded  majesty,  has 
been  present,  Omnipotent  in  power,  Infinite  in  wisdom,  direct- 
ing and  overruling  all ! 

Our  travels  are  not  yet  ended.  We  have  now  a  journey  to 
make  to 

THE    HOLY  LAND. 

We  are  to  go  through  the  Land  of  Promise — of  Israel's  in- 
heritance and  Israel's  rest — the  land  of  Patriarchs,  Prophets 
and  Apostles — the  land  of  the  Savior's  nativity,  of  his  mighty 
works,  his  wonderful  death,  and  his  glorious  resurrection  and 
ascension !  The  results  of  this  visit  will  be  embodied  in  another 
book.  May  the  journey  be  as  full  of  interest  and  instruction 
as  tye  one  just  closed  has  been.  May  the  Lord  give  us  eyes  to 
see,  ears  to  hear,  and  hearts  to  understand  the  lessons  of  in- 
struction that  will  meet  us  at  every  step  of  our  way.  So  for 
the  present, 

ADIEU. 


INDEX. 


EGYPT   AND  SINAI. 


PAGE. 

Aaron's  Calf,  mold  of   323 

Tomb   337 

Acacia,  see  Shittim  Wood   273 

Ain  Hawarah   232 

Akaba,  route  by  ,   332 

Alexandria,  City  of.   59 

Dress  and  habits  of  the 

people   76 

Night  in   72 

View  of.   43 

Apis  Cemetery   124 

The  bull   184 

Arabs,  bargains  with   127 

Desert  customs   248 

Making  bread....   351 

Song  at  Pyramids   130 

Suppes   240 

Backsheesh   114 

Bargain  with  dragoman   215 

Bazars,  Cairo   97 

Bedawin  burying-ground   265 

Common  dress   247 

Robbers   269 

Bedawins   244 

Marriage  customs   249 

Boston,  arrival  at   13 

Bottle-boy  at  Pyramids   132 

Bread-making   351 

Burning  Bush,  Chapel  of   298 

Burying-ground.,   265 

Cairo,  arrival  at   93 

Mosques  of.   197 

Old   117 

Streets  of......   97 

Camel's  foot-print,  Sinai   317 

Loading   226 

Carriage  riding  in  Cairo   194 

Catacombs   68 

Chapel  of  the  Fleas   314 

Elijah  and  Eliaha   315 

Charnel  House,  Sinai   300 

Cheops,  Pyramids  of.   124 

Ascent  of.   129 

Interior  of.   135 

Chicken  ovens   120 


PA9E . 

Children,  Egyptian   208 

Mode  of  carrying   77 

Church  of  St.  John,  Malta  ;    38 

Transfiguration,  Sinai....  297 

Circumcision   107 

Citadel  at  Cairo   201 

Cleopatra's  Needles   66 

Convent,  St.  Catharine,  Sinai..  286,  297 

History  of   290 

Interior  of.   295 

Greek,  Cairo   217 

Copper  mines,  ancient  253,  349 

Costumes,  gentleman's  dress   99 

Variety  of.   98 

Cummmings,  Dr   27 

Custom  House,  Alexandria   46 

Liverpool   20 

Derweshees   211 

Desert,  appearance  of   237.  243 

Vegetation  of   236 

Dieppe,  France   29 

Donkev-bovs  64,  116,  153 

Riding   63 

Donkeys   62 

Dress  of  laboring  class   210 

Egypt,  climate  of   96 

History  of.   49 

Map  of   10 

Population  of.   81 

Egyptians,  mechanical  power  of....  179 

llim   235 

Encampment  by  the  Sea   250 

Ezbekieh,  Cairo   96 

» 

Ferian,  Oasis  of.  270 

Wady  of.   266 

Finances  for  journey   23 

Forest,  petrified   162 

France   34 

Funeral,  Obsequies,  ancient   186 

Procession   Ill 

Garden  of  Convent  299 

Gizeh  ...121 

Pyramids  of   125 


858 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Grave  of  a  horse   350 

Harem,  Alexandria   72 

Helena   291 

Henna  staining   168 

Hermits  in  Sinai  desert   271 

Hieroglyphics   255 

History,  preservation  of   56 

Holy  Land   356 

Hor,  Mountain  of   336 

Horeb,  ascent  of.   320 

Plan  of   304 

Hotel,  de  Louvre,  Paris   30 

European,  Alexandria       ..  47 

Hyssop  275 

Ibis  Mummy  Pits   124 

Inscriptions,  Sinaitic   255 

Israelites,  bondage  of   87 

At  Ked  Sea   230 

Joseph  and  his  brethren   187 

Home  of   159 

Well  of.   202 

Lake  of  the  Dead   185 

Library,  Alexandria   60 

Liverpool,  landing  at   21 

London,  description  of.   22 

To  Paris   29 

Malta   37 

Maltese  divers   39 

Mamalukes,  origin  of   53 

Tombs  of   163 

Destruction  of.   204 

Manna  plant   276 

Perpetual  miracle   280 

Its  spiritual  significance   281 

Marriage  custom   248 

Procession   106 

Marseilles   35 

Marah,  bitter  waters  of   232 

Sweetning  the  waters   234 

Memphis   176 

History  of.    177 

Miracle,  perpetual  one   280 

Missionaries  at  Cairo   172 

Mohammed  Ali   54 

Great  canal   75 

Moses  at  the  Mount  of  God   331 

His  infancy   120 

Life  in  Egypt   189 

Return  to  Egypt   190 

Wells  of   230 

Well  at  Sinai   296 

Mosques  of  Omer  and  Tayloon   198 

Mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali   203 

At  Sinai  convent   299 

Of  Sultan  Hassan   200 

Mount  Hor   337 

Sinai,  see  Sinai  

Mountains,  color  and  'form  of.   272 


PAOE. 

Moving  masses  of  stone   179 

Muezzein  call  to  prayer   74 

Murkah,  Plain  of   251 

Napoleon,  campaign  of.   54 

Nile,  description  of  90,  119 

The  ferriage   119 

Voyage  212 

Noph,  ancient   176 

Nubk  Howey,  Windy  Pass  282 

Obelisk,  Heliopolis   156 

In  Paris   82 

On,  City  of.  r  156 

Home  of  Joseph   159 

School  of  Moses   160 

Palm  Grove,  beauty  of.   175 

Paris  and  Champs  Elysees  31,  32 

Paris,  Sunday  in   82 

Paul's  shipwreck   40 

Peninsula  of  Sinai,  inhabitants  of...  244 

Petra,  route  by   333 

Kuins  of   338 

View  of   342 

Petrified  forest   162 

Pharaoh,  ruined  city  of.   174 

Baths  of.   237 

Destruction  of   224 

Palace  of   187 

Pharos   45 

Place  de  la  Concorde   33 

Plain  of  Murkah  ;   251 

Pompey's  Pillar  .*   65 

Prophecy,  fulfilment  of  59,  160 

Pyramids,  age  of.   139 

By  whom  opened   146 

Cheops.    Gizeh  124,  125 

Interior  of   136 

First  view  of   93 

Why  built   145 

Railroad  to  Cairo   74 

Cairo  to  Suez   218 

Red  Sea,  encampment  by...  250 

Israelites  crossing  228 

Reflections  at  Memphis  ,   192 

Pyramids   131 

Remeses,  great  statue  of   178 

Retem,  wild  broom   274 

Rosetta  stone   58 

Sarcophagus  at  Pyramid   142 

Scripture,  illustration  of   91 

Selling  milk,  Malta   89 

Serapis,  Temple  of   60 

Shadoof.  .'   166 

Sheik,  description  of  246,  281 

Grave  of.   346 

Home  of   282 

Quarrel  with   302 

Shittim  wood   273 

Shoobra,  Palace  of.   161 


IND 

PAGE. 


Sinai,  arrival  at  *   283 

Ascent  upon  the  Mount   313 

Boundaries  about    310 

Convent  of   290 

Descent  from   318 

Design  of  Israel's  visit   308 

Encampment  of  the  Israelites  309 

Encampment  at   285 

Farewell  to   344 

Picture  of.   288 

Plan  of.   304 

Preparations  for  a  visit  to...  214 

Summit  of   317 

Volcanic  phenomena   331 

Sinaitic  inscriptions   255 

Where  found..  258 
Peculiarities  of  258 
Origin  and  his- 
tory of.   261 

Slave  market   102 

Smitten  Kock   324 

Description  of   326 

Smoking  in  Egypt   82 

Snakes,  exhibition  of.   112 

Sphinx,  description  of   147 

A  preacher   150 

Spurgeon,  Rev.  C.  H   25 

St.  Catharine   297 

Stone,  moving  blocks  of   179 

Storm  at  Sea   18 

Strange  show   112 

Street  cries,  Cairo   168 

Suez   219 

Eeturn  to   353 

Sun,  City  of.   156 

Fountain  of   158 


ex.  359 

PAGE. 

Sun,  Temple  of.   157 

Surabit  ef  Khadim   347 

Ruins  of   348 

Tawaras   244 

Tattooing   168 

Tombs  about  Pyramids   152 

Transfiguration,  church  of   297 

Turban   81 

Tusset  Sudhr,  mountain   231 

Valetta   38 

Valley  of  the  Cave   253 

Viceroy's  Palace,  Alexandria   70 

Villages  of  Egypt   76 

Wady  Ghurundel,  Elim   235 

Useit   238 

Taiyibeh   250 

Shellal   251 

Maghara   253 

Feiran   266 

Christians  in   271 

"Water  in  the  desert   241 

Watering  land   164 

Wild  broom  ,   274 

Windy  Pass   282 

Women,  dress  of.   79 

On  camels   166 

Riding   103 

Tattooed   170 

Veil  of   83 

Written  Valley   254 

Zoan,  field  of   84 


I 


THE 


HANDWRITING   OF  GOD 

IN 

EGYPT,  SINAI, 

AND  THE 


HOLY  LAND: 

THE 

RECORDS  OF  A  JOURNEY  FROM  THE  GREAT  VALLEY  OF  THE  WEST 
TO  THE  SACRED  PLACES  OF  THE  EAST. 


BY  REV.  D.   A.  RANDALL. 


WITH 

MAPS,  DIAGRAMS,  AND  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


SSntbirjEfi  is  tfj*  ^att&forttmcj  of  (Ko&,  an*r  all  afcjtcte  ate  foorta  in  it" 


PH  IL ADELPH IA: 

JOHN  E.  POTTER  &  CO.,  617  SANSOM  STREET 

CHICAGO,  III.:  J.  W.  GOODSPEED   &  CO. 
1866. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1862,  by 

D.    A.  RANDALL, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of.  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  Ohio. 


« 

INTRODUCTION. 


The  reasons  for  writing  this  book  have  been  given  in  the 
previous  work  on  Egypt  and  Sinai.  The  purpose  at  first  was 
to  publish  but  one  volume,  but  in  the  preparation  of  the  work 
it  was  found  necessary  to  extend  it  far  beyond  the  original 
design. 

The  author  was  also  in  hopes  to  have  included  in  the  work 
the  narrative  of  his  tour  through  Europe,  but,  as  the  work  pro- 
gressed, it  was  found  impracticable  to  do  so,  as  it  would  either 
too  much  extend  the  size,  or  crowd  out  the  notice  of  many  in- 
teresting things  in  the  Holy  Land  which  it  seemed  important 
to  mention. 

In  consideration  of  the  size  of  the  work,  it  has  been  deemed 
advisable  to  divide  it  into  two  parts,  one  on  Egypt  and  Sinai, 
the  other  on  the  Holy  Land.  The  paging  and  indexing  have 
been  made  to  correspond  to  this  arrangement,  so  that  the  two 
parts  can  be  put  up  separately  or  together,  as  patrons  may  wish. 
Should  it  yet  be  deemed  advisable,  a  supplemental  volume  will 
be  added  of  the  return  home  through  Europe. 

We  repeat  here  what  we  said  in  the  introduction  to  the  first 
part  of  the  work,  that  the  book  is  not  designed  for  the  critic 
and  the  scholar,  but  for  the  mass  of  common  readers.  The 
portion  of  country  through  whi'ch  it  takes  the  reader  is,  to  the 
Christian,  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the  world;  and  the 
book  is  given  to  the  public  with  the  same  desire  that  accompa- 
nied its  predecessor,  that  it  may  be  read  with  profit,  and  prove 
a  useful  auxiliary  in  the  increase  of  knowledge  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  truth. 


THE  HOLY  LAND 


"  Those  holy  fields, 
Over  whose  acres  walked  those  blessed  feet, 
Which,  fourteen  hundred  years  ago,  were  nailed, 
For  our  advantage  on  the  bitter  cross." 

King  Henry,  IV. 

"  Thy  holy  cities  are  a  wilderness, 
Zion  is  a  wilderness,  Jerusalem  a  desolation, 
Our  holy  and  our  beautiful  house, 
Where  our  fathers  praised  thee, 
Is  burned  up  with  fire ; 
And  all  our  pleasant  things  are  laid  waste." 

Bible. 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure  from  Egypt — Voyage  from  Alexandria  to  Jaffa — 
Ride  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem. 

Cairo,  Egypt,  March  15, 1861. 

In  our  work  on  Egypt  and  Sinai,  we  have  taken  the  reader 
to  some  of  the  most  interesting  localities  of  Lower  Egypt; 
have  looked  upon  its  remaining  monuments,  and  reflected 
among  its  ruins.  We  have  also  taken  him  through  the  dreary 
desert  of  Sinai,  and  stood  with  him  amid  the  sublime  scenery 
of  the  Mount  of  the  Law.  These  rambles  have  been  full  of  in- 
terest, and  many  an  instructive  voice  have  we  heard,  impressing 
upon  us  lessons  not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  We  are  now  to  re- 
sume our  travels,  and  make  the  tour  of  the  Holy  Land.  The 
Holy  Land!  How  the  heart  beats  high  with  expectation  at  the 
very  thought!  A  land  dear  to  the  Jew?  and  the.  very  mention 
of  which  kindles  the  devout  emotions  of  every  Christian  heart! 

As  I  have  before  stated,  I  met  in  this  place  two  American 
gentlemen,  with  whom  I  made  arrangements  to  make  the  tour 
of  Palestine  with  me.  Our  preparations  were  soon  completed, 
and  on  the  15th  of  March  we  bade  adieu  to  Grand  Cairo.  -  A 
ride  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  on  the  Viceroy's  fine 
railroad  brought  us  to  Alexandria.  This  journey  can  be  made 
for  about  nine  dollars  and  a  half,  five  dollars  or  two  dollars,  ac- 
cording to  the  class  of  cars  selected.    Time,  about  six  hours. 

Saturday  was  spent  mostly  in  business  arrangements  prepar- 
atory to  our  departure.  In  getting  drafts  on  London  cashed 
here,  in  British  or  French  gold,  we  found  the  rate  of  exchange 
and  commission  about  four  per  cent,  against  us.  In  Cairo,  it 
was  about  the  same.    We  called  on  the  American  Consul  and 


10 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


had  our  passport  recognized,  though  a  vise  for  Syria  is  not  ne- 
cessary here,  if  one  has  been  procured  in  England  or  France — 
Egypt  and  Syria  being  under  the  same  government.  Our  con- 
sul here  assured  us  it  was  necessary,  and  took  from  us  a  fee  for 
doing  it,  but  we  found  no  use  for  it.  Our  passports  were  not 
called  for  in  any  port  or  city  in  Syria ;  and  after  leaving  Alex- 
andria, we  had  no  call  for  them  by  any  government  official  till 
we  reached  Smyrna,  in  Turkey. 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL   IN  ALEXANDRIA. 

In  the  evening  we  called  upon  the  American  Missionaries 
of  the  Associate  Keformed  Presbyterian  Church.  The  mission 
is  in  charge  of  a  Rev.  Mr.  Hoge  and  his  lady,  of  Scotland.  A 
Miss  Dale,  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  Miss  McCullouch,  of  Ohio, 
are  assistants.  We  had  an  interesting  interview  with  them, 
and  on  Sabbath  morning  accompanied  them  to  their  Sabbath 
school. 

After  wending  our  way  through  many  of  the  narrow  lanes  of 
the  city,  and  in  the  thickest  portions  of  it,  we  were  taken  to 
one  of  those  strange  looking  eastern  houses,  which  I  cannot  de- 
scribe, and  up  two  pairs  of  stairs  to  the  school  room.  Here  we 
found  about  fifty  children,  a  large  proportion  of  them  girls, 
neatly  clad,  looking  sprightly  and  intelligent,  listening  with 
apparent  interest  to  the  instruction  given.  They  were  all 
shades  of  color,  and  the  representatives  of  several  different  na- 
tions— native  Egyptians,  Copts,  Jews,  Italians,  French,  Syrians, 
Maltese,  etc.  Some  of  them,  the  teacher  informed  me,  could 
speak  several  different  languages,  and  some  of  them  could 
write  the  Lord's  prayer  in  four  different  languages.  I  was 
much  interested  in  two  Syrian  young  ladies,  assistant  teachers, 
from  Damascus.  They  had  lost  their  mother  by  death,  and 
their  father  was  killed  in  the  recent  massacre  of  the  Christians 
in  Syria.  They  were  accompanied  by  two  little  brothers,  who, 
with  them,  had  escaped,  and  had  been  driven  to  this  place  for 
protection.  Their  story  was  a  sad  one,  and  touched  the  sympa- 
thies of  my  heart,  but  I  rejoiced  in  the  thought  that  in  Jesus 
they  had  found  a  friend  dearer  than  any  earthly  one,  and  in 
God  a  father,  who  has  given  his  special  pledge  to  provide  for 


BRIBING    AN  OFFICER. 


11 


the  orphan.  The  school  appears  to  be  in  a  prosperous  condi- 
tion, and,  I  should  think,  was  sowing  seed  that  will  ripen  into  a 
future  blessed  harvest.  They  sang  our  common  Sabbath 
school  tunes,  set  to  Arabic  words.  The  language  I  could  not 
understand,  but  I  could  sing  with  them  in  spirit,  and  my 
thoughts  were  carried  back  to  my  own  school,  and  the  interest- 
ing scenes  of  a  Sabbath  morning  in  my  own  native  land  were 
vividly  before  my  mind. 

ALEXANDRIA   TO  JAFFA. 

Monday  morning,  10  o'clock,  found  us  on  board  the  Russian 
steamer  Pallas,  in  the  port  of  Alexandria,  bound  for  Jaffa,  the 
nearest  landing  place  in  the  Holy  Land,  the  distance  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  the  time  of  the  voyage  usually  from 
thirty  to  thirty-six  hours.  We  had  on  board  a  motley  crew  of 
divers  nations,  professions  and  languages.  There  was  not  one 
of  the  officers  or  crew  with  whom  I  could  talk.  Fortunately, 
one  of  my  traveling  companions  could  master  a  little  Italian, 
and  the  steward  of  our  cabin  could  answer  to  it,  so  we  had  no 
difficulty  in  making  our  wants  known. 

In  getting  on  board  we  had  the  usual  gauntlet  to  run  of  don- 
key boys,  boatmen  and  loungers.  Our  boat  engaged,  we 
handed  in  our  traveling  bags,  and  were  about  to  step  from  the 
wharf,  when  a  tolerably  well-dressed  man,  with  loose  trousers 
and  turban,  and  a  staff  of  honor  in  his  hand,  stopped  us,  and 
claiming  to  be  an  officer  of  the  customs,  intimated  that  our  lug- 
gage should  be  examined.  We  did  not  believe  he  had  any  au- 
thority to  interfere  with  us,  but  supposed  it  to  be  some  menial 
of  the  police  after  a  backsheesh.  We  peremptorily  told  the 
boatment  to  push  off.  He  hesitated,  as  if  afraid  to  comply,  and 
replied:  "0,  gib  him  sumftin."  "Not  knowing  how  cheaply- 
the  official  could  be  bought,  but  disposed  to  try,  I  handed  him 
an  English  sixpence  for  our  company  of  three.  He  seemed 
disposed  to  protest,  but  I  turned  mv_  eye  upon:  him  with  a  look 
in  which  he  read  an  emphatic  "that's  all.'*'  He  turned  his 
back  upon  us,  and  we  proceeded  without  farther  molestation, 
but  with  a  hearty  laugh  among  ourselves  at  the  cheapness  of 
the  bribe. 


12 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


There  are  lines  of  French,  Russian  and  Austrian  steamen? 
from  Alexandria  to  Jaffa,  Beirut,  Smyrna,  and  all  the  principal 
ports  of  the  Levant,  so  that  there  are  generally  one  or  two  op- 
portunities every  week  of  leaving  this  place  for  the  Holy  Land. 
Our  steamer  is  a  Russian  craft,  but  well  built,  manned  and  fur- 
nished. The  rates  of  fare  to  Jaffa  are  about  twenty  dollars  for 
first  cabin,  and  twelve  dollars  and  fifty  cents  for  second.  Many 
poor  pilgrims  take  a  deck  passage,  and  are  carried  for  a  very 
trifling  sum.  Persons  wishing  to  economize  their  expenditures, 
will  find  a  second  cabin  passage  "on  any  of  these  steamers  com- 
fortable as  they  could  desire.  The  state-rooms  are  good,  beds 
are  clean,  and  table  well  supplied  with  a  good  variety  of  pro- 
visions, and  well  cooked. 

At  10  o'clock  we  moved  out  of  the  harbor,  and  steamed 
away  in  a  northeasterly  direction.  I  stood  upon  the  promenade' 
deck,  my  eyes  intently  fixed  upon  the  receding  shore,  and  as  it 
faded  from  my  view  I  bade 

FAREWELL   TO  EGYPT. 

Adieu,  thou  strange  and  wonderful  land!  Desert  and  gar- 
den, river  and  plain,  modern  cities,  majestic  and  moldering 
ruins,  adieu !  Land  of  the  labyrinth,  the  phoenix,  the  pyra- 
mids and  the  Sphinx,  I  shall  see  thee  no  more!  "What  a  trea- 
sure book  of  history  and  of  study  thou  hast  been !  The  schol- 
ars of  modern  nations  have  wandered  among  thy  ruins,  and 
thou  hast  been  their  teacher.  The  spirit  of  modern  investiga- 
tion has  brooded  over  thee,  and  the  chaos  of  thine  ancient  his- 
tory has  assumed  form  and  shape.  God  in  his 'wisdom  has 
caused  light  to  shine  out  of  thy  darkness. 

Once  thou  wert  the  pride  and  glory  of  earth,  but  now  how 
changed  and  fallen  !  The  tombs  of  thy  scholars  have  been 
lost;  thy  Phoenix  has  perished  no  more  to  renew  his  sepulchral 
flames;  thy  Memnon  is  forever  silent,  and  thy  temples  and 
gods  have  crumbled  into  dust !  0,  Egypt !  how  thou  hast  been 
plundered  of  even  the  iemnants  of  thy  former  greatness!  The 
denizens  of  thy  tombs  have  been  borne  away;  thine  obelisks 
have  been  removed;  and  what  remained  of  thy  statues,  altars 
and  images,  have  been  stolen  to  adorn  the  parks  and  enrich  the 


FAREWELL    TO  EGYPT. 


13 


museums  of  modern  cities.  Degenerate  land,  thy  children  once 
called  thee  "Mother  of  the  World!"  "Thou,  who  hast  given 
all  things  to  mankind — laws,  science,  industry,  arts — why  hast 
thou  kept  nothing  for  thyself?"  But  still  thou  hast  a  name — 
an  everlasting  name.  Thou  hast  monuments  that  can  never 
perish.  And  though  thou  sittest  in  silence,  solitude  and  degra- 
dation, the  traveler  will  still  come  and  muse  among  thy  ruins, 
and  thou  wilt  long  continue  to  be  an  instructor  of  the  nations! 

Such  were  the  reflections  that  pressed  themselves  upon  me  as 
the  dark  line  of  shore  grew  fainter  and  fainter,  blended  with 
the  rolling  billows  of  the  deep,  and — was  gone.  I  looked  about 
me,  there  was  the  ship  on  which  I  stood,  the  deep  blue  vault  of 
the  heavens  over  my  head,  the  vast  expanse  of  waters  that  en- 
circled me — all  the  rest  had  disappeared. 

We  have  now  a  ride  of  a  day  and  a  half  from  Alexandria  to 
Jaffa;  how  shall  we  occupy  the  time?  There  are  so  many  in- 
quiries for  information  as  to  the  modes  of  foreign  travel,  neces- 
sary outfit,  and  best  ,  mode  of  getting  along,  I  propose  to  give 
the  reader  some  of  the  results  of  my  experience  thus  far. 
Other  particulars,  as  to  time,  expense,  and  the  like,  I  will  give 
hereafter.  So  take  a. seat  with  me  under  this  deck-awning,  and 
I  will  give  you  a  few 

GENERAL  DIRECTIONS. 

Most  persons  burden  themselves  from  the  very  start  with  too 
much  luggage.  Let  the  quantity  be  as  limited  in  amount,  as 
light,  snugly  packed,  and  portable  as  possible.  I  took  no  trunk 
with  me.  Two  good  sized  leather  traveling  bags  or  carpet 
sacks,  which  you  can  take  in  your  hands,  if  necessary,  are  am- 
ply sufficient.  You  need  take  no  change  of  clothing  except 
under  garments,  and  of  these  only  two  or  three  changes,  as 
you  can  get  washing  done  frequently,  and  when  your  garments 
are  worn  you  can  get  new  in  any  city  of  the  East,  even  in  Cairo, 
Jerusalem  and  Beirut,  cheaper  than  at  home.  One  pair  of  pants 
lasted  me  through  all  my  travels  in  Egypt,  Sinai  and  Syria,  till 
I  reached  Smyrna,  where  they  were  exchanged  for  new.  One 
traveling  coat  lasted  me  till  I  was  as  far  on  my  return  as  Eome, 
where  for  eight  dollars  I  bought  a  good  black  broadcloth  one, 


14 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


that  served  me  the  rest  of  the  way,  and  in  which  I  was  not 
ashamed  to  make  my  appearance  among  my  friends  at  home. 
One  pair  of  boots  is  sufficient.  Have  them  made  large,  of  best 
calf-skin,  and  double  soles.  If  you  intend  to  visit  mountain  re- 
gions and  make  foot  excursions,  this  last  direction  is  absolutely 
essential.  These  excursions  make  a  heavy  draft  on  shoe-leath- 
er. One  day's  climbing  amid  the  sharp,  granite  rocks  of  Sinai 
and  Horeb  will  nearly  demolish  an  ordinary  pair  of  light  boots. 
Besides  enduring  the  wear,  the  heavy  soles  are  essential  for  the 
protection  of  the  feet.  With  a  large  sized,  thick-soled  boot, 
the  feet  will  not  blister  and  suffer  as  with  light  ones.  You  will 
also  need  to  take  with  you  a  good  overcoat  and  a  large  blanket 
shawl.  You  will  find  many  places  where  both  these  articles 
will  add  very  much  to  your  comfort.  A  light  umbrella  will 
often  be  needed  to  protect  you  from  the  sun,  sometimes  from 
the  rain,  and  a  light  India  rubber  wrapper  is  often  a  great  con- 
venience. 

Have  your  name  plainly  printed  on  your  traveling  bags  or 
trunk,  if  you  carry  one,  and  put  on  a  temporary  card  labeled 
with  the  place  of  your  immediate  destination.  The  more  close- 
ly you  can  attend  to  your  baggage  yourself,  the  less  likely  you 
will  be  to  meet  with  loss  or  delays  in  having  it  left  or  misdi- 
rected. The  above  directions  as  to  the  amount  of  luggage,  of 
course,  applies  only  to  single  gentlemen,  and  those  wishing  to 
travel  as  economical  as  possible.  If  you  have  ladies  with  you, 
luggage  and  expenses,  as  a  consequence,  must  be  proportionally 
increased;  and  if  you  wish  to  fee  servants  and  pay  extras,  you 
can  take  as  much  with  you  as  you  are  willing  to  bear  the  trou- 
ble and  expense  of. 

On  landing  in  a  foreign  port  or  at  a  railway  station,  you  will 
immediately  find  yourself  surrounded  by  runners  and  criers, 
and  if  among  people  of  a  strange  language,  a  perfect  jargon  of 
sounds  will  be  poured  into  your  ears.  Hotel  cards  will  be 
thrust  into  your  hands,  prices  bawled  out,  and  a  dozen  porters 
will  be  snatching  for  your  luggage.  This  will  increase  the 
farther  you  go  east.  The  insolence  and  rapacity  of  boatmen, 
hackmen,  runners  and  carriers  seem  to  increase  in  proportion 
as  the  intelligence  and  refinement  of  the  countries  in  which  you 


VEXATIONS    OF  TRAVEL. 


15 


travel  decrease.  The  Englishman,  or  the  American  even,  will 
bleed  your  purse  as  freely  as  the  Arab  or  the  Turk;  but  he  will 
do  it  so  much  more  politely  and  adroitly,  you  will  scarcely  real- 
ize the  swindle. 

PASSPORTS 

Are  quite  a  source  of  trouble  and  expense.  The  necessity  of 
having  them  recognized  and  countersigned  at  the  different 
ports,  as  you  pass  from  country  to  country,  often  occasions  much 
delay  and  trouble.  You  have  to  visit  sometimes  two  or  three 
different  consuls,  as  well  as  the  police  officers.  In  a  city  of 
strangers  and  a  strange  Janguage,  this  is  often  quite  perplex- 
ing. Yet,  vexatious  as  it  is,  the  passport  sometimes  becomes 
very  necessary;  and  the  right  of  appealing  to  the  consul  of  one's 
own  nation  for  protection  and  justice,  is  found  a  very  essential 
and  important  privilege.  If  two  or  more  persons  are  traveling 
together,  the  expenses  may  be  greatly  diminished  by  having 
their  names  all  on  one  passport.  This  any  consul  in  any  port 
where  company  may  join  you  has  a  right  to  do,  and  the  ex- 
pense of  a  vise  is  no  more  for  a  passport  containing  a  dozen 
names  than  for  a  single  person.  This  is  worth  remembering. 
The  expenses  of  one's  passport  for  a  tour  through  Europe  and 
the  East,  if  alone,  will  amount  to  near  twenty  dollars,  and  if 
you  have  several  traveling  companions,  this  can  be  divided 
among  them. 

CUSTOM-HOUSE  S, 

As  well  as  passports,  you  will  find  a  serious  annoyance,  but 
you  must  learn  to  let  patience  have  her  perfect  work.  In  some 
ports,  though  not  many,  you  will  not  be  permitted  to  take  your 
own  baggage  with  you  on  shore.  In  most  places,  custom-house 
porters  are  appointed  to  convey  it  from  the  vessel  to  the  reve- 
nue office,  and  these  porters  are  responsible  for  its  safety.  You 
must  follow  it  yourself,  or  send  your  keys  by  some  servant  or 
agent.  In  the  examination,  do  not  be  cross,  or  in  a  hurry. 
Open  your  packages,  and  invite  examination.  Courtesy  and 
good  humor  will  be  almost  sure  to  meet  a  corresponding  re- 
turn.   The  officers  have  their  duty  to  do,  and  it  is  often  a  disa- 


16 


THE    HOLY  LAND, 


greeable  one  to  them  as  well  as  you.  Avoid  any  thing  calcu- 
lated to  increase  the  unpleasantness  of  that  duty,  for  they  can 
return  any  lack  of  courtesy  on  your  part  a  thousand  fold.  If 
you  have  any  articles  you  know  are  liable  to  pay  duty,  declare 
them  to  the  officer.  If  they  are  in  small  quantities  for  your 
own  use,  or  for  presents  to  your  friends,  you  will  seldom  he 
charged  any  thing  on  them.  If  you  attempt  to  conceal  them, 
and  they  are  discovered,  they  are  liable  to  seizure  and  confisca- 
tion. Remember,  also,  that  any  police  officer  at  any  time,  and 
in  any  place,  has  a  right  to  demand  and  examine  your  pass- 
port; and  any  custom-house  officer,  if  he  choose,  has  a  right  to 
search  your  person.  • 

MAKING  ACQUAINTANCES. 

Under  this  head  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  give  the  substance 
of  what  an  experienced  person  has  said :  "  Let  the  American 
trust  mostly  to  the  force  of  his  own  address,  and  the  occa- 
sional contact  incident  to  travel,  for  the  formation  of  pleasant 
acquaintances.  An  intimacy  will  often  be  established  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours'  journey,  of  a  more  substantial,  enduring 
and  profitable  character,  than  may  be  achieved  through  the 
medium  of  a  letter  of  introduction.  What  Queen  Elizabeth  is 
alleged  to  have  said  of  the  recommendatory  character  of  a 
*  good  face,'  is  of  great  force  among  the  middle  classes  in  Eu- 
rope. And  better  even  than  the  good  face,  is  the  pleasant 
manner,  the  unaffected  disposition  to  be  satisfied,  the  anxiety 
to  obtain,  and  the  readiness  to  communicate  information.  Re- 
serve and  taciturnity  must  be  scattered  to  the  winds  the  mo- 
ment a  person  leaves  home  to  seek  knowledge  and  agreeable 
intercourse  abroad.  Let  not  the  apprehension  of  a  rebuff  deter 
the  traveler  from  asking  questions  of  any  fellow- traveler — be 
that  individual  a  gentleman  or  lady — upon  matters  of  general 
interest.  The  chances  are  that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  will 
receive  courteous  replies  and  ready  information.  And  this 
will  be  likely  to  be  more  prompt  and  cordial,  if  he  proclaims 
himself  an  American,  making  a  tour  in  gratification  of  a  laud- 
able curiosity.  There  is  a  natural  desire,  among  all  civilized 
countries,  to  create  favorable  impressions  on  the  minds  of  for- 


ADVICE    TO  TRAVELERS. 


17 


eigners.  Many,  on  discovering  they  are  communicating  with 
persons  of  intelligence  and  good  breeding,  will  tender  an  invi- 
tation to  their  dwellings,  or  volunteer  to  become  the  cicerone  of 
the  stranger." 

The  excellency  of  this  advice  I  proved  on  many  occasions. 
I  went  with  my  eyes  and  ears  open,  and  my  tongue  loose,  and 
many  a  profitable  and  pleasant  acquaintance  did  I  form,  on 
railroad  cars,  ships,  and  in  hotels;  and  the  declaration  of 
American  citizenship  I  found  a  talisman  to  unlock  the  reserve 
of  the  most  taciturn.  While  upon  this  point  I  will  mention 
but  one  thing  more.  A  friend,  who  had  been  over  the  ground 
before  me,  in  closing  his  directions,  gave  me,  as  a  last  and  gen- 
eral rule,  to  be  remembered  in  all  my  travels :  "  Believe  no- 
body, trust  your  common  sense,  and  go  ahead."  Unpleasant  as 
it  may  be  to  carry  in  one's  heart  such  distrust  of  those  about 
him,  I  found  the  precept  of  great  use  to  me  in  many  trying 
circumstances. 

But  while  we  have  been  talking,  darkness  has  settled  down 
upon  us.  Other  directions  and  particulars  relating  to  expenses 
and  the  like  will  be  given  as  we  proceed.  Let  us  now  com 
mend  ourselves  to  the  protection  of  Almighty  God,  and  seek  a 
night's  rest.  To-morrow  we  hope  to  press  with  our  feet  the 
soil  of  that  land  towards  which  we  have  so  long  and  so  anxi- 
ously looked. 

Tuesday,  March  17th.  Yesterday  we  had  a  heavy  sea.  To- 
day the  wind  has  abated,  the  sea  is  comparatively  calm,  and 
the  day  bright  and  pleasant.  Most  persons,  in  entering  Pales- 
tine from  this  direction,  take  a  dragoman  with  them  from  Al- 
exandria. This  we  did  not  do,  as  we  had  no  doubt  but  we 
could  readily  enough  make  our  way  to  Jerusalem  without,  and 
then  we  could  take  one  when  we  found  it  necessary.  This, 
though  it  subjected  us  to  some  extra  perplexities,  was  a  great 
saving  in  our  expenditures.  We  were  favored  also  in  having 
in  our  company  a  German  from  Alexandria,  who  could  talk 
Arabic,  and  who  thus  became  to  us  a  sort  of  guide  and  inter- 
preter. 

About  1  o'clock  all  eyes  were  turned  anxiously  towards  the 

land,  eager  to  catch  a  first  view.    In  about  half  an  hour,  a  long, 
2 


18 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


low,  dark  line  was  visible,  beneath  the  great  bank  of  fleecy 
clouds  that  skirted  the  horizon.  Some  said  it  was  land,  some 
affirmed  it  to  be  only  a  bank  of  clouds.  A  field -glass  was 
brought  into  requisition,  and  the  question  settled — it  was  the 
Holy  Land.  As  we  approached  it,  the  outlines  became  more 
distinct,  the  hills  assumed  shape — the  whole  line  of  coast  was 
distinctly  seen,  and  the  queer  looking  stone  city  of  Jaffa — the 
Joppa  of  the  New  Testament — with  its  fort-like  houses,  rising 
tier  above  tier,  upon  the  hill-side,  was  fully  and  clearly  in  view. 
I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  my  feelings  as  I  approached  it — 
far  different  from  any  I  ever  experienced  before.  I  was  about 
to  realize  the  long  anticipated  desire  of  my  heart,  to  walk  upon 
the  soil  pressed  by  the  feet  of  patriarchs,  prophets  and  apostles, 
and  visit  the  localities  where  they  lived  and  labored,  and  com- 
muned with  God. 

THE  LANDING. 

This  was  far  more  difficult  than  I  had  anticipated,  both  from 
the  roughness  of  the  sea,  and  the  rudeness  of  the  rabble  around 
the  beach.  There  is  really  no  harbor  at  Jaffa,  and  in  high 
winds  it  is  unsafe  for  vessels  to  stop  at  all,  and  they  are  fre- 
quently compelled  to  take  the  passengers  on  to  Beirut.  The 
sea  was  not  so  rough  as  to  prevent  a  landing,  but  enough  so  to 
make  it  difficult.  It  was  dusk  as  we  approached  the  shore,  and 
the  landing  place  was  a  scaffold  built  out  over  the  sea,  ten  to 
fifteen  feet  above  our  heads,  and  as  the  waves  lifted  us  up,  we 
must  be  caught  and  pulled  up  by  the  natives  standing^  above. 
Here  they  had  crowded,  half-naked,  barbarous  looking  fellows, 
as  thick  as  they  could  stand,  yelping,  crowding  and  pushing, 
eager  to  lend  a  helping  hand  that  they  might  claim  a  back- 
sheesh. It  was  a  long  time  before  I  would  consent  to  pass  up 
my  baggage,  for  there  was  no  one  above  to  be  responsible  for 
it.  At  last,  seeing  no  alternative,  I  passed  up  my  bags,  and  they 
were  immediately  snatched  by  half  a  dozen,  and  while  they  were 
contending  who  should  take  them,  a  couple  pf  stout  fellows 
seized  me  by  the  arms,  and  dragged  me  upon  the  platform.  1 
soon  succeeded  in  wresting  by  main  strength  my  carpet  sacks 
from  the  contending  crowd,  got  them  upon  the  shoulders  of  a 


LANDING    AT  JAFFA. 


19 


native,  and  with  him,  amid  shouts  for  backsheesh,  forced  my 
way  through  the  crowd.  I  had  scarcely  got  out  of  the  press, 
when  a  savage  looking  fellow  seized  me  by  the  shoulder,  calling 
out  in  broken  English,  "  Backsheesh,  backsheesh,  I  pull  you 
up immediately  another  was  upon  me,  "  Backsheesh,  I  pull 
one  arm."  I  was  glad  to  get  rid  of  the  crowd  on  any  terms, 
and  handing  them  a  quarter  of  a  dollar,  they  decamped.  I 
thought  I  had  been  in  many  close  places,  among  hackmen, 
boatmen  and  donkey  boys,  especially  at  Alexandria  and  Cairo, 
but  I  had  never  seen  the  like  of  this  before.  But  our  difficul- 
ties at  last  were  at  an  end,  and  we  found  a  quiet  retreat  for  the 
night  in  the  Latin  convent  of  the  place.  The  monks  treated 
us  kindly,  and  made  the  best  provision  they  could  for  our  com- 
fort ;  but  their  convent  is  a  dark,  cheerless  looking  place.  There 
is  one  public  house  here  for  the  accommodation  of  strangers, 
but  the  traveler  will  find  no  special  inducements  to  prolong  his 
stay. 

Before  leaving  home  I  had,  by  the  kindness  of  a  friend,  been 
furnished  with  letters  of  introduction  to  Dr.  Barclay,  author  of 
"  The  City  of  the  Great  King,"  an  American  by  birth  and  ed- 
ucation, and  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Jerusalem,  and  mis- 
sionary of  the  Disciples.  He  was  now  residing  at  Jaffa,  where 
he  has  a  beautiful  location  among  the  orange  groves  near  the 
city.  I  went  out  to  call  on  him,  desirous  of  availing  myself  of 
his  knowledge  of  the  country  in  the  further  prosecution  of  my 
journey.  Through  the  lying  treachery  of  some  Arab  servants, 
my  design  was  frustrated,  and,  much  to  my  disappointment,  I 
failed  to  see  him.  I  afterwards  met  the  Doctor  in  Jerusalem, 
and  received  from  him  much  valuable  assistance  and  informa- 
tion. 

The  forenoon  was  mostly  spent  in  procuring  horses  and  mak- 
ing arrangments  to  go  on  to  Jerusalem.  The  distance  is  about 
thirty-six  miles;  the  time  about  twelve  hours;  the  roads  mere 
foot-paths,  up  and  down  rocky  hill-sides,  and  along  rough  and 
difficult  ravines.  The  usual  price  for  a  horse  to  Jerusalem  is 
twenty  piasters,  or  about  eighty-five  cents.  In  consequence  of 
the  number  of  pilgrims  at  this  season  of  fM  year,  (Easter,)  and 
the  increased  demand  for  conveyance,  one  hundred  piasters  was 


20 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


demanded  for  one  horse.  After  considerable  bantering,  a  very 
common  thing  here,  we  succeeded  in  procuring  horses  for  our 
company  of  six  at  sixty-five  piasters  each,  a  piaster  being,  as 
we  have  stated  before,  about  four  and  one-fourth  cents. 

JOPPA    AND    ITS  HISTORY. 

This  place  is  now  called  Yaffa  by  the  Arabs,  and  Jaffa  by  the 
Franks.  The  houses  are  all  of  stone,  very  compactly  built,  the 
streets  very  narrow,  and  many  of  them,  like  Malta,  stone  stair- 
ways, arched  over  head.  It  contains  about  five  thousand  inhab- 
itants, about  one  thousand  of  whom  are  Christians.  A  few 
Jews  are  found  here,  perhaps  not  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  in  alL  The  town  has  the  usual  accompaniment  of  dogs, 
fleas,  ragged  children,  and  lazy,  dirty,  half-naked  men. 

This  city  is  of  very  ancient  date,  ranking  among  the  oldest  in 
the  world.  It  is  several  times  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament. 
In  the  apportionment  of  the  land  among  the  tribes  under 
Joshua,  Joppa  is  mentioned  as  one  of  the  maritime  towns  al- 
lotted to  Dan.  When  Solomon  commenced  building  the  House 
of  the  Lord,  the  cedars  which  the  King  of  Tyre  cut  upon  Leb- 
anon were  floated  down  to  Joppa,  and  from  thence  conveyed 
across  the  country  to  Jerusalem.  After  the  return  from  the 
captivity  in  Babylon,  we  are  informed  that  the  Jews  gave 
"meat,  drink  and  oil  unto  them  of  Zidon,  and  to  them  of  Tyre, 
to  bring  cedar  trees  from  Lebanon  to  the  sea  of  Joppa,"  for  re- 
building the  House  of  the  Lord.  But  the  chief  place  of  inter- 
est to  the  Christian  visitor  is 

THE    HOUSE    OF  SIMON,    THE  TANNER. 

This  is  the  house  where  Peter  lodged,  and  upon  the  top  of 
which  he  had  his  remarkable  vision.  Dorcas,  a  renowned 
Christian  disciple,  had  sickened  and  died.  Peter  was  stopping 
at  Lydda,  but  a  short  distance  from  this  place,  and  his  fame  for 
working  miracles  had  spread  over  the  country.  A  delegation 
was  sent  from  the  bereft  friends  of  Dorcas  to  call  him  to  this 
scene  of  mourning.  And  when  he  was  brought  into  the  upper 
chamber,  "all  the  widows  stood  by  him  weeping  and  showing 
the  coats  and  garments  which  Dorcas  had  made."    Dorcas  was 


HOUSE    OF  SIMON. 


21 


restored  alive  to  her  friends,  and  Peter  was  invited  to  lodge 
with  Simon,  the  tanner. 

Whether  the  house  to  which  we  were  taken  is  really  the  one, 
may  be  considered  very  doubtful,  but  it  certainly  answers  to 
the  description  given  in  the  10th  chapter  of  Acts.  It  is  by  the 
sea  side,  and  one  of  the  terrace  walls  is  washed  by  its  restless 
waves.  The  house  is  a  very  ancient  one,  and  being  strongly 
built  of  stone,  is  well  calculated  to  endure  the  wear  and  tear  of 
time.  But  whether  the  house  can  be  identified  or  not,  there  is 
no  doubt  but  this  is  the  city;  and  either  on  this  roof  or  some 
other  one  not  far  distant,  Peter  performed  his  devotions,  and 
had  that  remarkable  vision,  in  which  he  was  taught  that  God 
was  no  respecter  of  persons,  but  that  in  all  nations  he  that 
feared  him  and  worked  righteousness  should  be  accepted  of 
him — that  the  gospel  was  not  for  the  Jew  only,  but  for  lost  and 
sinful  man  wherever  found.  Here  it  was  that  the  vision  was 
interpreted,  and  Peter's  doubts  resolved,  by  the  arrival  of  a  del- 
egation from  Csesarea,  with  whom  he  was  instructed  to  go, 
with  the  assurance  that  the  vision  was  of  God.  Csesarea  was 
visited;  the  prayer  of  Cornelius  was  answered;  himself,  and 
his  worshiping  company,  received  the  word  of  God,  the  conso- 
lations of  Christian  faith  and  hope  were  imparted  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  the  door  of  the  Christian  church  opened  for  their 
admission. 

To  me  there  was  many  an  interesting  reflection  connected 
with  this  event.  I  had  been  traveling  over  the  ground  where 
the  ordinances  and  ceremonies  had  been  instituted,  that  had 
hedged  in,  like  an  impassable  barrier,  the  Jewish  nation. 
Now,  I  was  entering  upon  the  land  where  these  partition  walls 
of  laws  and  ordinances  that  were  against  us,  had  been  broken 
down,  that  all  men  might  become  fellow-heirs  in  the  blessings 
of  a  glorious  and  eternal  salvation.* 

From  the  battlements  of  this  roof  we  could  look  down  upon 
the  shore  from  which  Jonah  embarked  on  his  perilous  voyage; 
for  when  he  undertook  to  run  away  from  obedience  to  the  com- 
mands of  the  Almighty,  he  came  to  Joppa,  and  found  a  ship 
going  to  Tarshish.  Here  our  eye  rested  upon  the  waters  that 
were  lashed  into  fury  by  the  fearful  storm,  and  there  dwelt  the 


22 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


leviathan  in  whose  capacious  maw  the  disobedient  prophet 
found  a  living  tomb.  If  all  who  thus  attempt  to  run  away 
from  the  Lord  should  meet  the  fate  of  Jonah,  what  an  amount 
of  work  the  "great  fish"  of  that  sea  would  have  to  do! 

This  city  was  one  of  the  strongholds  of  the  Assyrians.  In 
their  wars  with  the  Jews,  they  and  the  Egyptians  sacked  and 
pillaged  the  place  five  times;  three  times  it  was  taken  by  the 
Romans,  and  twice  it  was  plundered  by  the  Saracens,  in  one  of 
which  conquests  eight  thousand  of  its  inhabitants  were  butch- 
ered. March,  1799,  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Napoleon,  and 
the  visitor  now  goes  down  to  stand  upon  the  spot  where  four 
thousand  soldiers,  chiefly  Albanians,  in  violation  of  the  terms 
of  capitulation,  were  marched  out  with  their  hands  tied  behind 
them,  and  deliberately  shot  by  Napoleon's  order.  Here,  too, 
the  traveler  is  told,  this  same  military  commander,  when  forced 
to  commence  his  retreat  across  the  desert  to  Egypt,  finding  in 
his  hospitals  from  four  to  five  hundred  of  his  own  men  whom 
he  could  not  remove,  administered  to  each  a  dose  of  poison  and 
left  them  behind ! 

The  modern  city,  which,  but  twenty  years  ago,  contained  only 
about  six  thousand  inhabitants,  has,  within  a  few  years,  includ- 
ing the  gardens  of  the  suburbs,  more  than  doubled  its  popula- 
tion. Her  gardens,  orchards,  and  orange  groves  now  constitute 
some  of  the  most  delightful  portions  of  the  land. 

DEPARTURE   FOR  JERUSALEM. 

At  2  o'clock  our  arrangements  were  completed,  our  horses 
were  at  the  place  of  rendezvous,  and  our  luggage  packed  upon 
a  couple  of  mules.  When  my  horse  was  brought  me,  I  found  a 
poor,  miserable,  foundered  nag — an  ugly  looking  ringbone  on 
one  of  his  feet — totally  unfit  for  service.  The  horses  furnished 
the  others,  though  mean  enough,  were  far  superior  to  mine.  I 
declined  to  accept  him,  and  decidedly  refused  to  go  unless  a  de- 
cent horse  was  furnished.  A  rabble  of  Arabs  always  gather 
around  on  such  occasions,  and  they  declared  he  was  tibe,  (good,) 
find  to  prove  it  one  of  them  mounted  him,  to  show  oft'  his  agili- 
ty. In  starting,  he  struck  his  ringbone  foot  against  a  stone, 
and  went  hobbling  off  on  three  legs,  much  to  the  chagrin  of 


A    BEAUTIFUL  PLAIN. 


23 


the  rider,  and  the  great  amusement  of  the  by-standers.  The 
scene  was  so  ludicrous,  roars  of  laughter  burst  from  every  side. 
Still  the  groomsman  declared  he  was  tibe,  and  would  do  well, 
after  he  had  gone  a  mile  or  two.  But  I  was  firm,  and  refused 
to  accept  him.  I  was  then  solicited  to  ride  him  as  far  as  the 
gate,  assured  that  there  another  should  be  furnished.  I  sus- 
pected this  was  only  a  ruse  to  get  me  started,  and  then  leave 
^ne  to  get  on  as  best  I  could,  and  I  learned  afterwards  such  was 
the  fact.  I  had  no  idea  of  being  turned  off  with  any  such  shab- 
by, broken-down  pack-horse,  and  after  much  gesticulation  and 
higgling,  seeing  no  way  of  bringing  the  rascals  to  terms,  I  per- 
emptorily ordered  my  baggage  to  be  taken  from  the  pack-mule, 
and  told  them  I  would  look  out  a  horse  for  myself.  This  had 
the  desired  effect,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  a  decent  horse 
was  furnished  me.  I  mention  this  as  one  incident  among  many 
qf  a  similar  kind,  showing  the  disposition  of  the  natives  and  the 
manner  of  their  dealing  with  travelers,  as  well  as  the  necessitv 
that  often  compels  one  to  contend  sternly  with  them.  As  a 
general  thing,  those  natives  the  traveler  comes  in  contact  with 
in  business  transactions  are  an  arrant  set  of  knaves. 

RAMLEH    AND    PLAIN    OF  SHARON. 

TVe  left  Jaffa  by  the  only  gate  upon  the  land  side,  and  set 
our  faces  towards  the  Holy  City.  The  country  about  Jaffa  is 
certainly  a  most  delightful  one.  Extensive  plains,  covered  with 
luxuriant  vegetation,  stretched  along  the  shore  of  the  sea,  and 
far  into  the  interior.  Large  orange  groves  were  just  yielding 
their  luxuriant  harvests  of  golden-colored  fruit.  Such  oranges 
I  had  never  before  seen,  and  had  no  idea  they  ever  grew  to 
such  great  size.  The  ground  was  dotted  with  flowers  of  every 
hue,  and  the  air  was  vocal  with  the  music  of  birds. 

Our  road  lay  directly  across  the  beautiful  Plain  of  Sharon. 
It  commences  on  the  north  at  the  base  of  Carmel,  and  thus  in 
scripture  we  find  Sharon  and  Carmel  mentioned  together.  It 
is  a  long,  low,  maritime  plain,  running  southward  to  Philistia. 
Sharon  signifies  " level  ground,"  or  a  "a  plain."  In  the  early 
history  of  Israel  it  was  noted  for  its  fine  pasturage. 

In  the  days  of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  the  voice  of  inspiration 


24 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


proclaimed  that  Sharon  should  be  a  wilderness.  "What  was 
then  predicted  is  now  fulfilled.  The  traveler  every  where,  as  he 
rides  over  this  beautiful  plain,  sees  written  in  unmistakable  lan- 
guage the  fulfillment  of  the  prediction.  But  few  villages  are 
seen,  and  but  few  cultivated  spots  adorn  it.  It  has  become  a 
home  for  the  lawless,  wandering  Bedawin.  Here  his  black 
tents  dot  the  landscape,  and  here  he  roams  with  his  flocks  of 
sheep  and  goats.  With  its  wide  undulations  and  verdant  slopes^ 
it  is  still  beautiful  to  the  eye;  and  one,  as  he  rides  over  it,  can- 
not but  regret  that  it  should  be  given  up  to  neglect  and  deso- 
lation. 

THE   ROSE    OF  SHARON. 

We  wondered  if  we  could  be  favored  with  the  sight  of  that 
once  renowned  and  beautiful  flower  to  which  Solomon  likened 
his  beloved.  A  missionary,  long  resident  in  the  country,  in- 
formed me,  as  the  result  of  his  investigations,  that  it  was  now 
impossible  to  determine  what  particular  flower  was  meant.  No 
one,  he  thinks,  can  now  tell  what  the  Rose  of  Sharon  was. 
Another  one  thinks  the  malva,  a  sort  of  marsh  mallows  that 
grows  abundantly  upon  this  plain,  rising  into  a  stout  bush, 
bearing  thousands  of  beautiful  flowers,  may  be  the  plant  alluded 
to.  Others,  again,  object  to  this,  and  contend  for  the  real  rose, 
queen  of  flowers,  wild  varieties  of  which  are  said  to  grow  on 
some  parts  of  this  plain.  It  is  quite  certain  the  rose  was  known 
to  the  ancients,  and  beautiful  ones  might  have  been  grown  upon 
the  dry,  sandy  soil  of  this  plain.  The  knowledge  of  the  par- 
ticular flower  alluded  to  may  have  been  lost;  we  may  never  see 
its  beauty  or  be  regaled  by  its  fragrance;  but  the  real  Kose  of 
Sharon  lives — his  beauties  are  unfading,  and  he  unfolds  his 
charms  to  every  believer,  whether  he  be  an  inhabitant  of  the 
plain,  a  child  of  the  desert,  or  the  mountain.  On  this  route 
you  pass  near,  and  can  visit,  if  you  choose,  the  ancient  city  of 

LYDDA,    OR  LUDD, 

As  it  is  now  called.  It  numbers  about  two  thousand  inhab- 
itants, and  is  surrounded  by  beautiful  groves,  among  which  may 
be  seen  the  olive,  the  fig,  and  the  pomegranate.    Despite  the 


MIRACLES   AND    BATTLES.  25 


ruin  that  has  crept  over  the  country,  it  is  a  pleasant  spot  for 
the  eye  to  rest  upon,  and  there  is  about  it  an  air  of  thrift  and 
prosperity  that  can  be  seen  in  but  few  places  in  the  land.  Here 
are  the  ruins  of  the  old  church  of  St.  George ;  indeed,  it  is  said 
to  be  the  birth-place  of  that  renowned  knight  and  dragon- 
killer.  One  noble  old  arch  of  the  church  is  left  standing,  a  sad 
memento  of  its  former  imposing  grandeur. 

This  is  one  of  the  few  places  that  retains  its  ancient  Hebrew 
name.  Of  the  children  of  Lod  there  returned  from  the  Baby- 
lonish captivity  seven  hundred  and  twenty-live,  and  Nehemiah 
mentions  this  city  as  being  in  the  valley  of  craftsmen.  But 
what  is  of  more  interest,  we  shall  now  be  constantly  passing 
over  ground  that  has  been  consecrated  and  immortalized,  not 
only  by  deeds  of  Old  Testament  history,  but  by  the  marvelous 
miracles  of  the  New.  Once  there  lay  in  that  city  a  poor,  af- 
flicted man,  who,  for  eight  years,  had  kept  his  bed  with  the 
palsy.  An  apostle  of  the  Savior  came.journeying  this  way,  and 
stood  by  the  bed-side  of  the  helpless  man.  What  strange  lan- 
guage he  uttered.  " Eneas,  Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee  whole; 
arise,  and  make  thy  bed."  And  he  arose  immediately.  It  was 
the  fame  of  this  great  miracle  that  called  Peter  to  Joppa  to  re- 
store Dorcas  to  life,  and  that  ended  in  his  illustrious  mission  to 
the  Gentiles.  Surely  we  are  entering  upon  the  arena  of  re- 
nowned and  wonderful  events.  We  should  have  mentioned  as 
we  passed  about  an  hour's  ride  from  Jaffa, 

BEIT    DE  JAN,    OR   BETH  DAGON. 

In  this  name  the  reader  will  readily  recognize  an  ancient 
scriptural  locality,  suggestive  of  the  old  deity  of  the  Philistines. 
Indeed,  stretching  away  all  along  to  the  south  of  us  is  the  coun- 
try of  that  powerful  race  of  people,  who  so  long  and  so  success- 
fully opposed  themslves  to  the  people  of  God.  There  is  Aske- 
lon,  Ashdod,  Gath  and  Gaza,  from  which  the  intrepid  Sampson 
bore  the  ponderous  city  gates.  It  was  on  this  field,  too,  he  per- 
formed many  other  renowned  exploits.  Here  he  slew  the  lion 
and  puzzled  the  people  with  his  strange  riddle ;  and  near  us  k 
i\YQ  some  of  the  great  battle-fields  where  fearful  scenes  of 
biood  and  carnage  have  been  enacted.    It  was  among  these 


26 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


cities  the  captive  ark  of  God  went  wandering,  when  the  people, 
troubled  and  afflicted  at  its  presence,  sent  it  from  place  to  place. 
Beth  Dagon  means  "House  of  Dagon."  So  we  may  conclude 
that  here  that  renowned  deity  had  one  of  his  celebrated  tem- 
ples. It  was  into  one  of  these  temples  the  people  brought  the 
captured  ark  of  God,  and  in  the  morning  their  god  Dagon  was 
found  prostrate  before  it.  An  invigorating  ride  of  about  two 
hours  brought  us  to 

R  AMLEH. 

Ramleh  means  "  sandy,"  and  is  surrounded  by  a  sandy  plain, 
covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation.  The  large  gardens,  inclosed 
with  enormous  cactus  hedges,  ha^e  a  very  singular  appearance. 
As  you  approach  the  place,  your  attention  is  arrested  by  an  old 
ruined  stone  tower  of  great  size,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  high,  standing  upon  an  elevation  one-fourth  of  a  mile  from 
the  town.  How  came  that  imposing  specimen  of  architectural 
skill  and  industry  here?  Who  can  tell?  As  you  approach  it 
you  pass  over  many  old  vaulted  cisterns,  and  other  ruins  are 
seen  in  the  vicinity,  indicating  the  existence,  in  former  days,  of 
a  population  in  its  immediate  vicinity.  The  Arabs  now  claim 
it  as  the  minaret  of  a  ruined  mosque;  but  it  was  probably  the 
tower  of  an  ancient  church  erected  by  the  Crusaders;  and  long 
before  the  muezzin's  call  to  prayer  was  heard  there,  it  was  the 
tower  of  a  Christian  church,  from  which  the  tolling  bell  called 
to  the  worship  of  the  Savior. 

Eamleh  some  suppose  to  be  the  Arimathea  of  Joseph.  Oth- 
ers tell  us  it  was  not  a  New  Testament  town,  but  was  probably 
built  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighth  century.  It  has  a  j3rominent 
place  in  the  history  of  the  Crusaders.  They  found  it  a  walled 
city,  with  four  gates  opening  to  each  of  the  four  cardinal  points. 
It  had  its  markets,  mosques,  and  stores  of  provisions.  In  1099, 
as  the  Crusaders  approached,  the  city  was  deserted  by  the  in- 
habitants, and  the  invaders  found  rest  and  refreshment  within 
its  walls.  Here,  it  is  said,  they  held  a  great  feast  in  honor  of 
St.  George,  and  formally  installed  him  as  their  patron,  on  ac- 
count of  the  miracle  he  had  wrought  in  their  favor  at  Antioch. 

About  an  hour  before  sunset  we  entered  the  town.    There  is 


HIDE    TO  JEKUSALEM. 


27 


no  public  house  here,  but  there  is  a  Latin  convent,  occupied  by 
a  few  Spanish  and  Italian  friars,  within  the  walls  of  which 
travelers  can  find  a  resting  place — not,  however,  on  the  princi- 
ple of  charity — the  monks  expect  a  liberal  fee  for  their  boiled 
eggs  and  brown  bread.  We  furnished  ourselves  with  a  day's 
rations  at  Jaffa,  the  German  missionary  of  the  town  furnished 
us  an  empty  room,  matrasses  and  blankets,  and  we  passed  a 
second  night  in  the  Holy  Land  in  comparative  comfort. 

OUR   PACES   TOWARDS   THE    HOLY  CITY. 

Anxious  to  be  on  our  way,  we  rose  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
morning.  At  3  o'clock  we  made  a  frugal  breakfast  of  bread 
and  coffee,  and  were  several  miles  on  our  way  before  the 
morning  light  had  illuminated  the  eastern  sky.  The  ride  from 
Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  dreary  in  all 
the  country.  The  road  winds  over  rocky  hills,  through  deep 
and  crooked  ravines,  and  along  slippery  banks.  There  was, 
undoubtedly,  a  good  road  through  here  in  Solomon's  time,  and 
so  there  must  have  been  in  the  days  of  the  Roman  occupation; 
but  nearly  every  vestige  of  these  former  roads  have  been  swept 
away.  The  ravines  and  side-hills  are  annually  washed  by  the 
torrents  of  the  winter  rains,  and  it  can  scarcely  be  aaid  there  is 
any  road  at  all.  A  bridle-path  is  all  that  exists,  and  this  is,  in 
many  places,  extremely  difficult,  even  for  the  experienced 
horses  of  the  country.  The  distance  is  probably  about  thirty- 
six  to  thirty-eight  English  miles.  "With  luggage  and  ordinary 
horses,  it  can  be  passed  over  in  about  twelve  to  fourteen  hours ; 
with  a  good  horse  and  no  incumbrances,  a  person  might  per- 
form the  journey  in  seven  or  eight  hours. 

We  passed  near  the  head  of  the,  Yalley  of  Ajalon,  and  sent 
an  earnest,  searching  look  along  the  country  over  which  Israel 
pursued  their  discomfited  enemies,  while,  at  the  command  of 
Joshua,  the  sun  arid  moon  stood  still  in  the  heavens  to  give 
them  time  to  finish  the  work  of  destruction.  We  soon  left  the 
plain  and  entered  upon  the  "hill  country."  Our  road  now 
became  rough  and  more  difficult.  Sometimes  our  horses  were 
sliding  along  smooth,  shelving  beds  of  solid  rocks;  now  climb- 
ing a  rough  ascent,  where  it  would  seem  only  goats  could  get 


28 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


a  foothold;  now  tramping  the  pebbly  bed  of  some  wild,  deep 
ravine.  The  horses  of  the  country  are  accustomed  to  traveling 
here,  and  it  is  astonishing  with  what  carefulness  and  precision 
they  will  make  their  way  along  these  difficult  roads. 

PALL   OF    ONE    OF    OUR  HORSES. 

Notwithstanding  the  perilous  condition  of  the  road,  but  one 
accident  occurred.  The  horse  of  one  of  the  party  slipped  upon 
the  edge  of  a  ravine,  fell,  and  rolled  into  a  ditch  that  had  been 
plowed  out  by  the  winter  torrent.  There  the  poor  beast  ky, 
back  down  and  feet  up,  wedged  under  a  projection  of  rock,  un- 
able to  move  an  inch.  It  took  several  men  to  lift  the  helpless 
brute  into  a  position  where  he  could  again  recover  his  standing. 
The  rider  slipped  from  his  back  and  came  off  with  only  a 
sprained  ankle ;  the  horse  came  out  unharmed.  We  began 
now  to  understand  the  force  of  the  scripture  expression,  "hill 
country  of  Judea;"  hilly  enough,  indeed,  we  find  it,  the  rocky 
ascents  rising  all  around  us.  Few  signs  of  inhabitants  were 
seen,  and  the  country  has  a  neglected  and  desolate  look.  But 
though  the  hills  have  been  washed  by  winter  rains  till  the  pro- 
jecting rocks  are  bare  and  barren,  the  evidences  of  former  in- 
dustry and* fertility  are  every  where  apparent.  The  remains 
of  the  terraces  that  once  adorned  them  from  base  to  summit, 
are  still  visible,  and,  occasionally,  a  straggling  olive,  or  an  em- 
blematic fig  remains,  to  tell  the  story  of  former  cultivation  and 
fruitfulness. 

A  robber's  glen. 

One  of  the  wild  ravines  through  which  we  passed  is  cele- 
brated as  the  scene  of  the  exploits  of  a  robber  chieftain,  named 
Abou  Gaush.  No  one  could  go  through  this  narrow  pass  with- 
out his  sanction.  The  solitary  traveler  and  the  grand  caravan 
were  alike  the  object  of  his  plunder.  The  whole  country  stood 
in  fear  of  him,  and  travelers  trembled  at  his  name.  Two 
pashas,  on  one  occasion,  attempting  to  pass  here  with  their  reti- 
nues, were  shot  dead  by  this  daring  bandit.  For  nearly  fifty 
years  he  contrived  to  elude  capture,  and  prosecuted  his  career 
of  plunder  and  crime.    At  last,  in  1846,  himself  and  several  ot 


BESTING    PLACE    OF    THE  ARK. 


29 


his  principal  men  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Turkish  authorities, 
and  were  sent  to  Constantinople.  The  road  is  now  safe,  but 
the  remembrance  of  these  bloody  atrocities  often  sends  a  thrill 
of  terror  to  the  heart  of  the  timid  traveler.  Emerging  from 
this  dark  glen  you  come  upon 

KIR  JATH-JEARIM. 

Like  most  of  the  villages  you  see  here,  it  is  built  of  stone, 
and  stands  high  up  the  hill-side.  The  hill  is  terraced,  and 
dotted  with  olive  and  fig  trees.  The  massive  walls  of  a  fine  old 
Gothic  church,  dating  back  to  the  days  of  the  Crusaders,  add 
to  the  picturesque  appearance  of  the  town;  and  towering  among 
the  smaller  houses,  may  be  seen  two  or  three  castle-like  build- 
ings, that  were  once  the  stronghold  of  Abou  Gaush,  the  bloody 
chieftain.  Here  some  of  his  descendants  still  reside,  and  the 
people  of  the  place  are  said  to  still  inherit  much  of  the  turbulent 
and  hostile  spirit  that  their  former  education  has  infused  into 
them. 

This  place  is  now  called  Kuryet  el  'E nab,  "  the  Village  of 
Grapes,"  and  is  the  site  of  the  Kirjath-Jearim  of  scripture, 
"the  Village  of  Forests,"  originally  one  of  the  cities  of  the 
Gibeonites,  who  so  adroitly  beguiled  Joshua  into  a  league  of 
peace.  It  is  also  called  in  the  Bible  Kirjath  Baal ;  and  stood 
on  the  southwest  angle  of  the  territory  of  Benjamin,  ten  miles 
from  Jerusalem.  But  it  was  none  of  these  things  I  have  men- 
tioned that  led  me  to  linger  as  my  company  rode  onward,  and 
turn  and  look  again  and  again  upon  Kirjath-Jearim.  I  re- 
membered it  as  the  place  where  the  ark  of  God  rested. 

Near  three  thousand  years  ago  that  ark  had  been  taken  from 
its  resting  place  beneath  the  covert  of  the  tabernacle  at  Shi- 
loh,  and  borne  before  the  armies  of  Israel.  But  Israel  had 
sinned  against  the  Lord,  and  though  they  carried  the  symbol 
of  his  presence,  God  went  not  with  them.  They  were  over- 
come in  battle,  and  the  ark  of  God  was  captured  by  their  ene- 
mies. The  Philistines  carried  it  to  Ashdod,  and  Dagon  fell 
prostrate  before  it,  and  fearful  judgments  troubled  the  city. 
They  sent  it  to  Gaza,  and  thence  to  Ekron,  but  God  had  never 
intended  that  the  profane  hands  of  idolaters  should  pollute  the 


30 


THE    HOLY  LAND 


consecrated  symbol  of  his  presence  and  glory.  Wherever  it 
went  plagues  followed  it,  and  fear  fell  on  the  people.  At  last 
it  was  sent  back  to  its  own  people.  The  men  of  Kirjath-Jearim 
received  it.  On  the  top  of  yonder  hill,  they  brought  it  into  the 
house  of  Abinadab,  and  sanctified  Eleazer,  his  son,  to  keep  it; 
and  here  it  rested  till  David,  after  he  was  crowned  king,  pre- 
pared a  place  for  it  on  Mount  Zion. 

I  had  stood  upon  the  place  where  that  ark  was  built  and 
sanctified,  and  God  first  covered  it  with  the  cloud  of  his  glory. 
I  had  dwelt  with  intense  interest  upon  every  portion  of  its  his- 
tory. I  was  anticipating  a  visit  to  old  Shiloh,  where  for  six 
hundred  years  it  stood  as  the  center  of  Israel's  worship;  and 
every  spot  of  ground  over  which  it  had  been  carried  seemed  to 
possess  a  peculiar  sanctity. 

FIRST    SIGHT    OF  ZION. 

On  we  went,  sometimes  climbing  along  the  rocky  hill-sides, 
and  now  picking  our  way  along  the  water-course  of  some  deep 
glen.  Nothing  can  be  better  calculated  to  awaken  thoughts 
of  robbers  and  banditti  than  some  of  these  wild  mountain 
passes,  and  no  place  could  be  better  calculated  to  shield  the 
assassin  in  his  deeds  of  blood.  A  dense  tangled  growth  of 
dwarf-oak,  hawthorn  and  rock-rose  crowd  close  upon  the 
pathway,  and  the  jagged  rocks  lend  their  aid  to  increase  the 
security  of  these  lurking  places. 

About  12  o'clock  we  were  on  the  look-out  for  the  city  of  our 
destination.  Passing  down  a  long  defile  into  a  deep  valley,  we 
flattered  ourselves  we  should  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  wished  for 
place  as  we  ascended.  Up  the  opposite  ascent  we  slowly  and 
wearily  toiled.  We  thought  we  had  gained  the  summit,  and 
strained  our  eyes  for  a  glimpse  of  Zion  and  Olivet.  Still  there 
was  another  hight  beyond.  Up,  and  up,  and  up  we  went.  At 
last  we  reached  the  summit,  and  looking  far  ahead,  the  distant 
mountains  of  Moab  rose  first  upon  our  view;  then  the  deep 
valley  of  the  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea;  a  little  nearer,  and  the 
minarets  first,  then  the  domes,  and  the  houses,  and  the  massive 
walls  rose  up  before  us.    Involuntarily  we  exclaimed :    "  The 


FIRST   SIGHT    OF  JERUSALEM. 


33 


Holy  City!  The  Holy  City!"  How  appropriate  the  words  of 
Tasso  seemed: 

"  Lo,  towered  Jerusalem  salutes  the  eye ! 
A  thousand  pointing  fingers  tell  the  tale ; 

'  Jerusalem ! '  a  thousand  voices  cry, 

£  All  hail,  Jerusalem ! '  hill,  down  and  dale 

Catch  the  ^lad  sounds,  and  shout,  '  Jerusalem,  all  hail ! '  " 
I 

Mr.  Herrick  and  myself  were  riding  side  by  side,  separated 
from  the  rest  of  our  company.  We  stopped  our  horses,  uncov- 
ered our  heads,  and  fixed  our  deep,  earnest  gaze  upon  the  sa- 
cred place,  fraught  with  so  many  hallowed  associations — the 
great  central  point  from  which  has  gone  forth  the  influence 
that  is  regenerating  the  world. 

How  deep  the  emotions,  and  how  inspiring  the  associations 
that  came  crowding  upon  us !  The  history  of  three  thousand 
years  seemed  compressed  into  a  brief  space,  and  the  eye  of 
memory  took  them  all  in  at  a  glance.  There  was  the  city  of 
David,  and  of  David's  Lord  ;  there  was  Zion,  Moriah,  Gethse- 
mane,  Olivet  and  Calvary!  Our  eyes  seemed  riveted  to  the 
sacred  spot.  We  uncovered  our  heads  in  reverence,  and  lifted 
our  hearts  in  grateful  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God,  who  had 
spared  us  in  all  the  perils  of  a  journey  of  near  seven  thousand 
miles,  and  granted  us  so  much  of  the  desire  of  our  hearts.  I 
believe  our  feelings  were  in  unison.  It  was  no  superstitious  or 
noisy  enthusiasm  that  moved  us.  It  was  a  moment  of  deep, 
silent,  solemn,  reverential  awe. 

But  the  first  emotions  kindled  by  the  sight  subsided.  On  we 
went,  rapidly  nearing  the  place.  Just  about  1  o'clock  we  en- 
tered the  Jaffa  gate,  and  our  feet  stood  within  the  walls  of  "  The 
City  of.  the  Great  King." 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Our  Home  in  Jerusalem — A  Glance  at  the  City — Sketch 

of  its  History. 

We  entered  Jerusalem  on  the  21st  of  March.  The  accom- 
modation for  travelers  in  the  way  of  public  houses  is  quite  lim- 
ited and  expensive.  The  Mediterranean  hotel  is  the  principal 
one,  at  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  day.  A  Christian  Jew 
keeps  a  sort  of  boarding-house — "Traveler's  Rest" — where  a 
comfortable  home  can  be  found  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five 
cents  a  day.  There  is  also  a  German  Hospice,  established  in 
vpart  for  the  entertainment  of  Christian  travelers,  where  a  lim- 
ited number,  usually  not  more  than  six  or  eight  at  a  time,  can 
find  agreeable  quarters,  at  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  week. 
Hundreds  of  the  poor  pilgrims  of  the  different  branches  of  the 
church  are  entertained  gratuitously  in  the  different  convents 
of  the  city.  In  consequence  of  the  previous  acquaintance  of 
one  of  our  company  with  a  monk  of  the  Franciscan  convent, 
and  who  had  invited  him  on  his  visit  to  Jerusalem  to  make  the 
convent  his  home,  we  were  induced  first  to  make  application  to 
that  institution. 

The  door-keeper  carried  our  request  to  the  Father  Superior, 
who,  after  some  questioning  as  to  who  we  were,  whence  we 
came,  and  what  our  object  in  visiting  the  Holy  City  was,  gave 
us  an  order  of  admittance. 

The  first  home  of  these  Franciscans,  in  Jerusalem,  was  in  the 
Hospital  of  St.  John.  From  this  they  were  driven  by  a  change 
of  masters,  when  they  established  themselves  on  Mount  Zion, 
near  where  the  Moslem  tomb  of  David  now  stands.  Here  they 
remained  from  A.  D.  1313  to  1561.  Another  change  of  mas- 
ters expelled  them  from  this,  when  they  bought  the  present 


CONVENT    OF   ST.  SALVADOR. 


35 


convent  of  St.  Salvador,  where  they  still  continue.  The  house 
for  the  entertainment  of  travelers  is  attached  to  the  convent, 
and  is  called  "  The  New  House  of  the  World  for  the  Enter- 
tainment of  Pilgrims."  It  is  open,  as  the  rules  declare,  for  the 
reception  of  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  without  any 
distinction  of  nationality  or  religion.  Visitors,  by  conforming 
to  the  rules,  are  allowed  to  remain  thirty  days.  No  charge  is 
made,  but  presents  are  not  refused.  The  living  is  plain,  but 
plentiful;  the  cooking  is  done  by  the  monks,  and  servants  are 
employed  to  take  care  of  the  rooms.  The  Father  Superior  is 
always  an  Italian,  and  the  monks  are  nearly  all  Italian,  and  the 
Italian  language  is  mostly  spoken  among  them.  We  were 
there  during  Lent  and  Easter,  and  a  large  number  of  visitors 
were  in  attendance,  mostly  Italians  and  French.  Several  high 
church  dignitaries  from  different  parts  of  Europe  were  stopping 
there,  and  during  ten  days  of  the  time  about  sixty  officers  of 
the  French  army  from  Beirut.  A  portion  of  the  time  their 
house  was  full,  and  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  dined  at  their 
table. 

A   GLANCE   AT   THE  CITY. 

Although  we  were  protestants  and  among  strangers,  we  were 
treated  with  kindness  and  attention.  Among  the  monks  we 
found  an  Irish  priest  by  the  name  of  Stafford,  who  seemed 
much  pleased  to  find  company  with  whom  he  could  converse  in 
English.  He  spent  considerable  time  with  us  in  our  rooms, 
and  went  with  us  several  days  in  our  excursions  about  the  city 
and  country.  We  obtained  much  valuable  information  from 
him  as  to  the  number  and  influence  of  the  different  religious 
sects  in  Palestine  and  Jerusalem,  and  also  with  regard  to  the 
so  called  Holy  Places.  The  monks  of  this  convent  appear  to 
be  quite  an  intelligent  and  industrious  class  of  persons.  They 
have,  within  the  walls  of  their  convent,  a  mill  driven  by  horse- 
power, where  they  grind  all  their  own  grain;  they  have  also 
quite  an  extensive  printing  establishment,  where  they  manufac- 
ture books  for  their  churches  and  schools.  Other  kinds  of  me- 
chanical labor  are  also  carried  on  among  them. 

Here,  then,  we  are,  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  journey,  in  one 
3 


36 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


of  the  most  interesting  places  in  the  world.  "Our  feet  stand 
within  thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem!"  What  a  history  this  city 
has!  Jerusalem,  " The  Abode  of  Peace."  The  Greeks  called 
it  Hierosolyma,  hence  the  sacred  Solyma.  The  derivation  of 
the  name  has  been  a  subject  of  much  dispute.  The  Jewish 
rabbins  have  ingeniously  reconciled  conflicting  opinions  as  fol- 
lows: "The  name  of  the  place  is  Jehovah- Jireh.  Abraham 
called  the  name  of  the  place  Jireh;  Shem  called  it  Shalem. 
Saith  God:  4 If  I  shall  call  it  Jireh,  it  will  displease  Shem  the 
just;  if  I  shall  call  it  Shalem,  it  will  displease  Abraham  the 
just.  I  will,  therefore,  put  the  name  upon  it  which  was  put 
upon  it  by  both — Jireh-Shalem' — Jerushalaim — Jerusalem. 
The  Arabs  and  Turks  call  it  El-Khuds,  "the  Holy,  or  Beit-el- 
Makhudis,"  "the  Holy  House,  or  House  of  the  Sanctuary." 

Once  it  was  the  royal  residence  of  Melchisedek,  the  prince 
and  priest.  Here  was  Moriah,  to  which  Abraham  came  on  the 
third  day  from  Beersheba,  when,  in  the  stern  resolution  of  an 
unwavering  faith,  he  laid  his  only  son  upon  the  altar,  and  re- 
ceived him  back  as  one  alive  from  the  dead.  Here,  for  many 
long  years,  was  the  capital  of  the  Hebrew  nation;  the  royal 
palace  of  her  kings,  and  the  center  of  their  worship.  Hither 
the  tribes  came  up,  the  tribes  of  the  Lord,  to  worship  in  his 
holy  temple.  "In  Salem  was  God's  tabernacle,  and  his  dwell- 
ing place  in  Zion."  And  here,  inspiring  thought!  in  subse- 
quent times,  a  greater  than  Abraham  bound  his  only  and  well 
beloved  son  to  the  altar  of  the  cross;  and  here  the  world  wel- 
comed him  back  from  the  dead,  the  blessed  harbinger  of  light, 
life,  and  immortality.  What  interesting  walks  we  shall 
have  among  these  sacred  localities !  What  impressive  lessons 
we  shall  learn  as  we  wander  over  its  hills,  and  reflect  among 
its  ruins.  Contemplate 

JERUSALEM   AS   A  BATTLE-FIELD. 

As  a  "Habitation  of  Peace,"  how  often  its  history  has  con- 
tradicted its  name !  What  wars  have  been  waged ;  what  scenes 
of  carnage  and  bloodshed  have  here  been  enacted !  Of  what 
took  place  here  after  Abraham's  visit,  and  prior  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  land  by  the  children  of  Israel,  we  have  no  historic 


THE    KINGDOM    OF  SOLOMON. 


37 


records  to  inform  us.  What  contentions  may  have  arisen 
among  fierce  Canaanitish  tribes,  none  can  now  tell.  Joshua 
found  here  a  stronghold  in  possession  of  the  Jebusites.  They 
were  a  warlike  race,  and  strongly  fortified,  and  no  attempt 
seems  to  have  been  made  by  him  to  conquer  them.  After  his 
death,  the  tribe  of  Judah  took  Jerusalem,  and  smote  it  with 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  set  it  on  fire.  But  it  seems  far  from 
having  been  a  complete  conquest,  for  we  are  informed,  in  an- 
other place,  the  children  of  Israel  could  not  drive  out  the  J ebu- 
sites  inhabiting  Jerusalem.  The  Benjaminites  made  an  attempt, 
and  also  failed.  They  seem,  however,  to  have  possessed  some 
portions  of  it,  for  the  Jebusites  and  Israelites  are  mentioned  as 
residing  here  together.  It  was  not  until  David  had  reigned 
king  in  Hebron  seven  years  and  six  months,  that  he  went  up 
to  Jerusalem  to  fight  against  the  Jebusites.  At  this  time,  so 
strongly  were  they  fortified,  they  defied  him  with  taunts  and 
insults,  and  dared  him  to  make  the  assault.  Joab  signalized 
himself  by  leading  the  attack;  the  Jebusites  were  expelled  and 
utterly  overthrown.  David  made  Jerusalem  the  capital  of  his 
kingdom;  built  his  palace  upon  Mount  Zion ;  removed  hither 
the  ark  of  the  Lord;  built  and  consecrated  an  altar  on  Mount 
Moriah  in  the  threshing-floor  of  Araunah,  the  Jebusite,  and  for 
thirty-three  years  reigned  king  over  Israel  and  Judah. 

Its  occupation  by  David  was  the  commencement  of  its  pros- 
perity. He  greatly  enlarged  and  strengthened  it.  It  continued 
to  increase  in  population,  wealth,  power  and  splendor,  and  un- 
der Solomon  reached  the  zenith  of  its  glory.  Rich  tributary 
streams  from  the  surrounding  nations  poured  into  it.  Africa 
contributed  her  luxuries,  and  India  brought  her  spices  and  gold. 
The  wisdom  of  its  ruler,  and  the  splendor  of  its  court,  were  the 
wonder  and  astonishment  of  distant  nations,  and  many,  like 
the  Queen  of  Sheba,  came  to  witness  its  glory.  What  immense 
wealth  was  gathered  into  this  city  during  this  prosperous  reign  ! 
The  quantity  of  gold  left  by  David  for  Solomon  to  expend  upon 
the  temple,  amounted  to  more  than  one  hundred  millions  of  dol- 
lars. Solomon  obtained  more  than  sixteen  millions  of  dollars 
in  gold  in  one  voyage  to  Ophir,  while  silver  was  so  abundant, 
"it  was  not  any  thing  thought  of,"  and  the  king  made  it  "to 


38 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


be  in  Jerusalem  as  stones."  The  reign  of  Solomon,  the  build- 
ing of  the  temple,  and  the  permanent  establishment  of  the 
Hebrew  worship,  was  the  crowning  glory  of  the  nation,  and 
Jerusalem  wore  the  coronet  among  the  world's  sisterhood  of 
illustrious  cities.    With  the  death  of  Solomon  commenced 

ITS  DECLINE. 

The  first  reverse  was  the  revolt  under  Rehoboam.  Ten  of 
the  tribes  rebelled.  Judah  and  Benjamim  only  remained  in 
their  allegiance,  and  Jerusalem  was  the  capital  of  but  a  small 
portion  of  the  national  territory.  Soon  after,  Jeroboam  insti- 
tuted the  idolatrous  worship  of  the  golden  calves  at  Bethel, 
and  Dan  and  the  ten  tribes  ceased  to  go  up  to  Zion  to  worship 
in  the  House  of  the  Lord. 

While  Eehoboam  was  yet  king,  nine  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  years  B.  C,  Shishak,  king  of  Egypt,  came  up  against 
Jerusalem',  conquered  and  pillaged  it,  and  carried  away  with 
him  immense  quantities  of  gold  and  silver,  robbing  even  the 
sanctuary  of  God  of  its  gold  and  silver  vessels.  The  record  of 
this  conquest  is  preserved  among  the  sculptured  tablets  of  Up- 
per Egypt.  The  chiseled  walls  of  the  ruins  of  Karnack  tell 
the  same  story  that  the  biblical  student  may  read  in  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  the  2d  book  of  Chronicles;  another  striking  evi- 
dence of  the  manner  in  which  God  has  left  his  Handwriting 
upon  the  monuments  of  heathen  nations  to  corroborate  the 
truth  of  his  written  word !  Three  thousand  years  of  the  craft 
of  designing  men,  and  of  the  efforts  of  unbelievers,  have  not 
been  able  to  destroy  the  one,  nor  the  lapse  of  time  and  the  rav- 
ages of  war  to  deface  the  other.  They  are  both  God's  wit- 
nesses, and  by  him  have  been  wonderfully  preserved! 

The  contending  tribes  of  Israel  and  Judah  were  often  at  war 
with  each  other,  and  Jerusalem  wa3  often  the  scene  of  strife. 
Eight  hundred  and  twenty-six  years  B.  C,  Jehoash,  king  of  Is- 
rael, conquered  Jerusalem,  broke  down  a  large  portion  of  the 
wall,  demolished  the  palace  of  Amaziah,  and  plundered  the 
temple  of  God.  The  city  continued  to  pass  through  a  variety 
of  fortunes.  Sometimes  the  temple  of  God  was  honored,  and 
his  altars  burned  with  holy  sacrifices,  and  the  incense  of  an 


JERUSALEM    A  BATTLE-FIELD. 


39 


adoring  people  ascended  from  its  courts;  at  other  times  idola- 
trous rulers  defiled  it  with  their  polluting  sacrifices.  At  last, 
the  cup  of  their  iniquity  was  full.    Then  came 

THE   GREAT  CAPTIVITY. 

About  six  hundred  years  B.  C,  and  a  little  more  than  four 
hundred  and  fifty  years  after  David  erected  his  palace  upon 
Mount  Zion,  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  laid  siege  to 
Jerusalem.  Three  years  the  city  resisted  all  the  efforts  of  this 
powerful  monarch  to  reduce  it  to  submission.  But  resistance 
was  in  vain — the  invading  army  triumphed.  The  walls  were 
razed  to  the  ground — the  costly  and  magnificent  temple,  and 
the  splendid  palaces  of  the  city  were  burned  with  fire.  Jehoi- 
achim,  with  all  his  kindred  and  courtiers,  were  taken  prisoners. 
The  conquering  king  returned  in  triumph  to  Babylon,  taking 
with  him  an  immense  amount  of  plunder,  including  ten  thous- 
and able  men  of  the  city,  many  thousands  from  the  surround- 
ing country,  together  with  the  vessels  of  gold  and  costly  furni- 
ture Solomon  had  made  for  the  temple.  The  horrors  of  this 
siege,  and  the  massacre  that  followed,  are  beyond  description. 
The  brutal  soldiery  had  no  compassion  on  young  men  or  maid- 
ens, old  men  or  infants.  0,  Jerusalem  !  what  terrible  scenes  of 
plunder  and  carnage  thou  hast  witnessed !  But  the  worst  has 
not  yet  been  told. 

THE   GRECIAN  INVASION. 

■  The  long,  tedious  captivity  of  seventy  years  passed.  God 
provided  for  the  return  of  a  punished  and  penitent  people  to 
their  former  home.  Jerusalem  was  re-built ;  the  beautiful  tem- 
ple again  arose  from  its  ruins.  When  its  foundations  were  laid, 
the  people,  Ezra  informs  us,  shouted  with  joy,  while  some  of 
the  old  Levites,  who  had  seen  the  glory  of  the  first  temple, 
wept  with  a  loud  voice.  The  prophecies  that  foretold  this  cap- 
tivity, the  exact  time  of  its  continuance,  and  the  manner  of 
the  restoration,  are  among  the  most  remarkable  portions  of  the 
revelation  of  God.  They  are  the  unmistakable  imprint  of  the 
hand  of  the  Almighty  in  the  Written  Record  he  has  given  us. 
After  the  return  from  the  captivity,  Jerusalem,  for  a  serieb 


40 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


of  years,  seems  to  have  enjoyed  rest  and  quiet.  Three  hundred 
and  thirty-five  years  B.  C,  Alexander,  the  Macedonian,  com- 
mences his  career  and  extends  his  conquests  over  the  Persian 
empire.  Before  leaving  home,  in  the  visions  of  the  night,  a 
man,  curiously  and  strangely  attired,  stands  before  him.  Words 
of  encouragement  seem  to  fall  upon  the  ear  of  Alexander,  and 
the  vision  assures  him  that  his  expedition  to  the  East  shall  be 
successful.  Dominion  passes  from  the  Persians  to  the  Greeks. 
Jerusalem  is  too  important  a  city  to  be  left  out  of  the  pro- 
gramme, and  Alexander  must  go  up  and  punish  them  for  their 
fidelity  to  the  Persians.  Again  a  hostile  army  is  encamped 
against  Jerusalem.  Must  former  scenes  of  murder  and  pillage 
be  re-enacted?  Jaddua,  the  high-priest,  arrays  himself  in  his 
costly  sacerdotal  vestments,  and  at  the  head  of  a  train  of  priests, 
with  the  emblems  of  peace  in  their  hands,  marches  out  to  meet 
the  dreaded  conquerer.  Alexander  regards  them,  at  first,  with 
stern  and  angry  menace.  But  no  sooner  has  his  eye  caught  a 
glimpse  of  this  strange  figure  at  the  head  of  the  procession, 
than  astonishment  takes  the  place  of  anger  and  revenge.  "  The 
very  figure  I  saw  in  my  dream  in  Macedonia.  What  does  it 
mean  ? "  The  mission  is  received  with  reverence  and  respect. 
He  returns  with  them  to  the  city — visits  their  temple  and  joins 
with  them  in  their  sacrifices — reads  from  their  sacred  books  the 
prophecy  of  Daniel,  that  a  Grecian  should  arise  and  overthrow 
the  Persian  empire.  Instead  of  conquests  and  slaughter,  he 
confers  upon  them  important  privileges  and  immunities,  and 
retires  with  his  army  from  their  city  and  country.  What  hand 
but  the  Hand  of  God  could  have  guided  the  pen  of  Daniel, 
when,  in  his  far  off  captivity,  he  wrote  Persian,  Grecian  and 
Jewish  history  many  years  before  the  events  transpired ! 

THE   ROMAN  OCCUPATION. 

The  triumph  of  the  Macedonian  conqueror  was  of  short  du- 
ration. The  reign  of  the  Ptolemies  in  Egypt  was  another  im- 
portant era  in  the  history  of  Palestine.  Eor  more  than  sixty 
years,  under  their  sovereignty,  Jerusalem  had  rest.  After  that, 
in  the  wars  between  Seleucus,  son  of  Antiochus,  and  the  Ptole- 
mies, the  province  of  Judea  and  the  adjoining  country  became 


A   FIELD   OF  SLAUGHTER. 


41 


the  theatre  of  many  bloody  contests.  About  three  hundred 
years  B.  C,  the  Assyrian  monarch  gained  the  ascendancy,  and 
not  only  the  peace,  but  the  very  existence  of  the  Jewish  nation 
seemed  to  be  involved. •  One  hundred  and  fifty  years  B.  C, 
Epiphanes  plundered  Jerusalem,  sacrificed  a  swine  upon  the 
holy  altar  of  their  temple,  and  with  its  filth  polluted  the 
whole  building.  Two  years  after,  he  sent  his  general,  Apollo- 
nius,  to  complete  the  destruction.  He  selected  the  Sabbath 
clay,  the  sanctity  of  which  he  knew  the  Jews  would  not  violate, 
even  by  fighting  in  self-defense.  His  soldiers,  like  demons  in- 
carnate, went  through  the  streets  slaughtering  all  they  met. 
The  women  and  children  were  spared  to  be  sold  as  slaves.  The 
houses  were  pillaged,  the  city  walls  laid  prostrate,  every  street 
and  lane,  and  even  the  courts  of  the  holy  temple,  flowed  with 
blood.  Jerusalem  was  left  desolate — sacrifices  and  oblations 
ceased — the  sacred  temple  of  the  living  God  was  dedicated  to 
Jupiter  Olympius,  and  the  holy  altar  of  the  Deity  polluted  by 
the  sacrifices  of  idols. 

We  cannot  follow  Jerusalem  in  its  fortunes  under  the  reign 
of  the  Maccabees.  The  Roman  Eagle  at  last  gained  the  ascend- 
ant. Thirty-four  years  B.  C,  the  last  prince  of  the  Asmonean 
line  was  murdered  by  the  Roman  prefect  of  Syria,  and  Herod 
the  Great  made  king  of  the  Jews.  Then  came  a  season  of 
tranquility.  The  nations  of  the  world  had  rest.  The  obla- 
tions upon  the  altars  of  Moloch  ceased,  and  the  temple  of  Ja- 
nus was  shut.  Angelic  messengers  announced  the  appearance 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  and  Christ,  the  Redeemer  and  Savior, 
walked  the  streets  of  Jerusalem.  But  he  walked  among  the 
tombs  of  murdered  kings,  over  the  wreck  and  ruin  of  buried 
palaces,  and  along  the  avenues  that  had  again  and  again 
streamed  with  blood. 

MASSACRE   UNDER  TITUS. 

City  of  Zion !  is  not  the  measure  of  thine  iniquity,  and  the 
cup  of  thy  suffering  yet  full  ?  See,  on  yonder  mount  of  Olives 
that  Savior  sits.  His  eye  is  fixed  upon  the  city,  while  the  long 
drawn  sigh  and  the  gathering  tear  indicate  the  deep  emotions 
of  his  heart,  as  with  prophetic  ken  he  penetrates  the  future. 


42 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


"0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and 
stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee;  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  thy  children  together  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  brood 
under  her  wing,  but  ye  would-  not.  Your  house  is  left  unto 
you  desolate.  Thy  children  shall  perish  within  thee;  thy  walls 
shall  be  laid  even  with  the  ground,  and  of  thy  boasted  temple 
'  not  one  stone  shall  be  left  upon  another."  Fifty  years  did  not 
pass  away  before  this  fearful  prediction  was  fulfilled. 

Under  Herod  the  city  had  been  raised  to  a  hight  of  wealth 
and  prosperity  it  had  not  before  enjoyed  since  its  glory  under 
Solomon.  The  place  was  enlarged,  the  streets  improved,  and  the 
temple  re-built  and  adorned,  until,  in  many  things,  i,t  even  ex- 
ceeded the  magnificence  of  the  one  built  by  Solomon.  But  the 
hight  of  greatness  to  which  it  was  raised,  only  added  darkness 
and  depth  to  the  pit  of  its  ruin.  The  horrors  of  the  siege  un- 
der Titus  have  often  been  portrayed,  and  are  familiar  to  almost 
every  reader.  Such  fearful  sufferings,  such  indiscriminate 
slaughter,  such  awful  scenes  of  carnage  and  cruelty,  the  histo- 
rian has  seldom  been  called  upon  to  record.  At  last  the  slaugh- 
ter ceased  for  the  want  of  subjects.  Titus  saved  a  part  of  the 
western  wall  and  three  of  its  towers,  as  monuments  to  show 
posterity  the  great  streugth  of  the  city  he  had  conquered.  It 
is  said  that  the  enormous  number  of  one  million  one  hundred 
thousand  Jews  perished  in  the  siege  and  massacre,  and  nearly 
one  hundred  thousand  more  were  taken  prisoners.  The  walls, 
towers  and  fortifications,  except  the  portion  before  mentioned, 
were  utterly  demolished,  the  holy  temple  was  burned,  and  of  all 
its  glory  a  mass  of  rains  only  remained.  What  terrible  reverses 
for  one  single  city !  and  yet  we  have  not  seen  the  end. 

JERUSALEM    WAS  RE-BUILT. 

Many  Jews  clung  to  the  ruins,  unwilling  to  abandon  the 
homes  and  tombs  of  their  ancestors.  In  the  twentieth  year  of 
the  Emperor  Adrian  an  attempt  was  made  to  restore  the  ruined 
city.  Jupiter  \v as  made  the  patron  god  of  the  place;  statues 
of  heathen  deities  were  set  up  in  the  most  holy  places ;  the  an- 
cient capital  of  Israel,  where  God  had  manifested  his  glory,  was 
transformed  into  a  pagan  city,  and  upon  the  very  spot  where 


WARS   OF    THE    CRUSADERS.  43 

Christ  had  died,  the  altars  of  heathen  deities  polluted  the 
ground.  Then  came  the  long  and  bloody  conflicts  between  pa- 
ganism and  Christianity.  Bloody  persecutions  were  waged  as 
one  or  the  other  triumphed.  At  last  the  religion  of  the  cross 
was  established,  and  Jerusalem  became  a  Christian  Patriarchate. 
Churches  and  monasteries  were  built,  holy  places  were  honored 
and  consecrated,  and  multitudes  of  pilgrims  began  to  flock  to 
these  Christian  shrines.    Then  came 

THE    MOHAMMEDAN  CONQUEST, 

Followed  by  the  wars  of  the  Crusaders.  In  A.  D.  636,  the 
Moslem  troops  under  the  Calif  Omar  laid  siege  to  Jerusalem; 
and  now  on  this  battle-field,  where  all  nations  and  languages 
had  alternately  contended  for  the  mastery,  Mohammedans  and 
Christians  engaged  in  fierce  and  deadly  strife,  and  scenes 
of  former  carnage  were  again  renewed.  The  Moslem  tri- 
umphed, the  religion  of  the  false  Prophet  gained  the  ascendant, 
and  on  the  very  site  of  the  ancient  temple  they  built  their 
mosque,  and  from  the  summit  of  Moriah  the  muezzin's  call  to 
prayer  was  heard.  Then  followed  long  years  of  strife.  Bloody 
conflicts  were  waged,  and  terrible  massacres  succeeded  each 
other.  In  1050,  Jerusalem  came  under  the  rule  of  the  Turks. 
The  situation  of  the  Christians  became  deplorable.  Both  pil- 
grims and  residents  were  subjected  to  terrible  indignities  and 
cruelties.  Peter  the  Hermit,  having  witnessed  these  atrocities, 
returned  to  Rome  to  tell  the  harrowing  tale.  All  Christian 
Europe  was  aroused.  Legions  of  valiant  knights  and  soldiers 
precipitated  themselves  upon  western  Asia.  In  1099,  they  cap- 
tured Jerusalem,  and  re-built  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
They  held  the  city  eighty-eight  years,  when  it  was  re-captured 
by  Saladin,  who,  fearing  the  Christians  would  again  obtain 
the  rule,  pulled  down  nearlv  all  the  walls,  and  for  ten 
years  they  remained  unbuilt.  In  1229,  Jerusalem  *was  again 
delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  Crusaders.  They  attempted  a 
few  years  after  to  re-build  the  walls,  when  a  Moslem  prince 
again  attacked  and  captured  the  city.  Four  years  after,  the 
Christians  again  obtained  possession  of  it,  but  they  held  it  only 
a  few  months.    In  1243,  they  were  driven  out  for  the  last  time, 


44 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


and  the  crescent  still  triumphs.  The  proud  Turk  holds  do- 
minion, and  the  Mussulman  dictates  terms  of  citizenship  to  the 
follower  of  the  cross.  But  thanks  to  the  milder  reign  of  the 
toleration  that  characterizes  the  present  day,  these  hitherto 
contending  powers  do  all  now  dwell  here  in  comparative  peace. 
The  lion  now  lies  down  with  the  lamb;  the  muezzin's  call  to 
prayer,  as  it  falls  upon  the  ear  of  the  faithful,  mingles  with  the 
music  of  the  cathedral  bell,  that  reminds  the  Christian  of  his 
Savior,  and  the  Jew  worships  the  God  of  his  fathers,  and  none 
molest  him. 

We  have  introduced  this  brief  synopsis  of  the  city's  history, 
that  the  reader  may  see  upon  what  strange  ground  we  are  now 
standing!  What  scenes  of  thrilling  interest  have  here  trans- 
pired !  How  often  the  clarion  voice  of  war  has  awakened  the 
echo  of  these  mountains !  Here,  beneath  our  very  feet,  ruins 
have  been  piled  upon  ruins,  and  palaces  above  palaces  have 
gone  to  decay ;  while  on  the  very  soil  upon  which  we  tread,  the 
slaughtered  heaps  in  weltering  ranks  -have  lain,  and  the  dust 
of  many  nations  has  been  blended  in  strange  and  promiscuous 
confusion. 

WALKS   ABOUT   THE  CITY. 

And  now  to  which  of  these  interesting  localities  shall  we 
first  turn  our  attention?  Where  there  is  so  much  to  be  seen, 
where  every  foot  of  ground  has  its  lessons,  every  hill-side 
mound  and  valley  has  been  the  scene  of  some  thrilling  event, 
or  hallowed  by  some  sacred  association,  we  shall  scarcely  have 
time  to  linger  over  them  all.  Let  me  lead  you,  then,  to  that  lo- 
cality, the  name  of  which  has  become  so  intimately  interwoven 
with  all  the  hallowed  remembrances  of  both  Jew  and  Chris- 
tian, and  that  has  given  a  name  to  the  anticipated  home  of  our 
future  inheritance  and  rest.    Let  us  stand  upon  Mount  Zion. 

A  few  minutes'  walk  from  our  convent,  and  we  are  upon  its 
very  summit.  This  is  the  mount  upon  which  the  original  city 
was  built.  Here  was  the  stronghold  of  the  Jebusites,  captured 
by  David.  Here  was  the  palace  of  Israel's  kings,  and  here  the 
city  that  became  the  praise  of  the  whole  earth.  This  was 
God's  hill,  in  which  he  delighted  to  dwell.    Of  this  place  David 


A   WALK   ABOUT  ZION. 


45 


speaks:  "Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her;  tell  the 
towers  thereof;  mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks,  and  consider  her 
palaces."  "Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth 
is  Mount  Zion."    Alas,  how  changed !    How  fallen! 

Zion  occupies  the  whole  southwestern  section  of  the  ancient 
site  of  Jerusalem,  and  was  the  largest  of  the  mounts  over  which 
the  city  subsequently  spread.  On  the  west  and  south  it  has  the 
valley  of  Hinnom.  From  this  valley  the  sides  anciently  rose 
up  in  steep  and  rocky  precipices.  From  the  repeated  destruc- 
tions of  the  city,  the  ruins,  in  immense  piles,  have  been  tumbled 
into  these  valleys,  so  as  to  cover  up,  in  many  places,  the  precip- 
itous ledges  of  rocks.  The  southern  brow  of  Zion  is  very  bold 
and  prominent.  The  hight  of  the  hill  above  the  valley  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  city  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet; 
above  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  on  the  south,  three  hundred 
feet. 

Standing  here  on  the  hights  of  Zion,  turning  your  face  to  the 
east,  and  looking  along  down  the  slope,  you  have  before  you 
the  Tyropean  valley,  now  so  filled  up  with  the  accumulation 
of  centuries  of  ruins,  as  scarcely  to  have  the  appearance  of  a 
valley.  As  an  evidence  of  the  accumulation  of  this  mass  of 
ruins,  upon  the  very  hill-top  where  we  are  now  standing,  when, 
some  years  since,  the  English  church  was  built,  they  penetrated 
between  forty  and  fifty  feet  of  rubbish  before  they  found  the 
original  soil.  If  such  has  been  the  accumulation  upon  the  hill, 
what  must  it  be  in  the  valleys  below!  Looking  beyond  this 
valley  and  a  little  to  the  northward,  the  eye  rests  upon  Mount 
Moriah,  where  the  temple  of  Solomon  once  stood,  its  summit 
now  crowned  with  a  costly  Moslem  mosque.  Beyond  that  still, 
to  the  east,  is  the  deep  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  with  the  brook 
Kidron  and  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane;  and  beyond  all  these, 
rises  the  beautiful  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  To  the 
left,  or  northward,  of  where  you  stand,  is  Akra,  and  east  of  it, 
Bezetha,  two  other  hills  over  which  the  city  originally  spread, 
and  a  part  of  which  it  still  covers.  Such  is  a  hasty  view  of  the 
position  of  the  prominent  localities  of  the  city  in  which  we 
now  stand. 

Where  the  ancient  walls  stood,  it  is  now  impossible  to  tell. 


46 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Ruin  has  been  piled  on  ruin,  and  destruction,  as  we  have  seen, 
has  followed  destruction.  The  ancient  city,  according  to  Jose- 
phus,  where  it  was  not  considered  impregnable  on  account  of  its 
deep  ravines,  was  fortified  by  three  walls.  These  walls,  how- 
ever, were  built  at  different  periods  to  inclose  different  portions 
of  the  city.  The  original  city,  as  we  have  before  said,  covered 
this  Mount  Zion.  As  the  city  was  enlarged,  a  wall  was  built 
around  the  portion  that  extended  over  Akra,  and  another 
around  Bezetha.  The  city  is  now  much  smaller  than  in  the 
days  of  Christ,  but  it  is  still  encompassed  by  a  very  strong  wall. 
This  wall  is  just  about  two  and  a  half  miles  in  circumference, 
and  very  strongly  built.  A  variety  of  different  stones  are 
worked  into  it,  indicating  that  the  materials  were  quarried  and 
chiseled  in  different  ages  of  the  world.  Its  average  hight  is 
about  forty  feet,  its  thickness  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet;  in 
some  places,  owing  to  the  inequalities  of  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  it  is  much  higher  than  in  others;  the  highest  places 
being  full  seventy  feet,  while  the  lowest  places  are  thirty  to 
thirty-five  feet.  The  present  walls  are  supposed  to  have  been 
built  about  1542,  occupying  very  nearly  the  same  lines  as  those 
built  by  Hadrian.  But  probably  every  siege  and  pillage  of  the 
city  has  changed  some  portions  of  the  walls. 

CASTLE    OP  DAVID. 

Just  at  the  right,  as  you  enter  Jaffa  gate,  is  a  celebrated 
tower,  remarkable  for  its  great  strength  and  venerable  antiqui- 
ty. It  is  called  the  tower  of  Hippicus,  sometimes  the  "  Tower 
of  David,"  and  by  Mussulmen,  the  Castle  of  David.  The 
lower  part  of  it  is  built  of  massive  stones,  from  nine  to  thirteen 
feet  in  length,  and  some  of  them  more  than  four  feet  thick. 
These  stones  are  cut  with  a  deep  bevel  round  the  edges,  in- 
dicating their  Jewish  origin.  The  hight  of  this  tower,  above 
the  present  level  of  the  fosse,  is  forty  feet.  It  is  built  solid,  and 
recent  excavations  show  that  for  a  considerable  hight  above  the 
foundation,  it  is  formed  of  the  natural  rock,  hewn  into  shape 
and  faced  with  stones.  That  this  tower  stood  here  in  the  days  of 
Josephus,  there  is  little  doubt,  and  it  is  one  of  the  towers  saved 
by  Titus,  as  a  memorial  of  the  almost  impregnable  strength  of 


PLAN  OF  JERUSALEM  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS. 


The  inner  wall  or  line  denotes  the  present  size  of  the  city.  The  outer  dotted  line  the  walls  of 
the  ancient  city.  1,  Jaffa  Gate.  2.  Damascus  Gate.  3.  St.  Stephen's  Gate.  4.  Zion  Gate.  5, 
Tomb  of  David.  6.  Lower  Pool  of  Gihon.  7.  Road  to  Bethlehem.  8.  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel.  9. 
Pottersfleld.  10.  Pool  of  Siloam.  11.  Fountain  of  the  Virgin.  12.  Village  of  Siloam.  13.  An- 
cient Jewish  Cemetery  and  Tombs  of  the  Prophets.  14.  Garden  of  Gethsemano.  15.  Pool  of 
Bethesda.  16.  Ciate  Beautiful,  or  Golden  Gate.  17.  Jews' placo  of  wailing.  18.  Upper  Pool  of 
Gihon.  A.  Armenian  Quarters.  B.Christian  Quarters.  C.  Jewish  Quarters.  D.Mohammedan 
Quarters.   *  Franciscan  Convent,   t  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 


BUILDINGS   OF    THE  CITY. 


49 


the  city  he  had  captured.  Some  date  its  origin  back  even  to 
the  times  of  David.  It  seems  strange  to  be  looking  upon  struc- 
tures of  such  wonderful  antiquity,  and  examining  stones  that 
might  have  been  cut  by  the  workmen  of  David  or  Solomon 
three  thousand  years  ago.  This  tower  or  citadel  has  a  dirty, 
neglected  appearance,  and  is  mounted  by  two  or  three  pieces 
of  antique  looking  ordnance,  occasionally  used  in  firing  salutes. 
If  you  have  a  written  order  from  the  military  commander  of 
the  city,  you  can  ascend  the  tower.  From  the  top  you  have  a 
commanding  view  of  the  city,  the  best  in  fact  that  any  position 
within  the  walls  affords.  From  this  elevation  let  us  take  a  look 
at  the  different  quarters  of  the  city. 

THE   CHRISTIAN  QUARTERS. 

Take  the  accompanying  plan  of  the  city,  and  you  will  see  first 
the  parts  marked  A  and  B,  covering  portions  of  Zion  and  Akra. 
Here  dwell  the  Christian  population  of  the  city,  for  though  we 
have  assigned  a  separate  quarter  to  the  Armenians,  they  may 
all  be  included  in  the  Christian  category,  the  Latins,  or  Roman 
Catholics,  and  the  Greeks  having  also  their  separate  portions. 
To  these  may  be  added  Georgians,  Copts,  Syrians,  Protestants, 
and  many  other  sects.  There  is  here  one  of  the  most  mixed 
and  multifarious  populations  upon  the  face  of  the  globe ;  there 
is  scarcely  a  sect,  tribe  or  language  but  has  its  representative  in 
Jerusalem. 

Among  the  prominent  buildings  and  establishments  located 
in  this  part  of  the  city,  belonging  to  the  Armenians,  may  be 
enumerated  the  Armenian  Convent,  one  of  the  largest  estab- 
lishments in  the  city;  the  Armenian  Church  of  St  James,  a 
fine  building,  containing  many  gorgeous  decorations  of  pic- 
tures and  ornaments ;  the  Patriarchal  Palace,  a  new  and  elegant 
building;  the  Armenian  Hospitals;  the  Church  of  St.  Thomas; 
Church  of  St.  James  the  Less. 

In  this  portion  of  the  city  may  also  be  found  the  Greek 
Convent  of  St  George;  Syrian  Convent  and  Church  of  St.  Mark; 
Church  of  the  Crusaders;  a  Reading-room  for  Polish  Jews; 
Christ's  Church,  or  the  Anglican  Cathedral,  to  which  is  at- 
tached a  large  parcel  of  ground,  containing  gardens,  various 


50 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


offices,  etc.,  the  property  of  the  London  Jews'  Society;  a  large 
and  well  conducted  English  Hospital;  a  Prussian  Hospice,  with 
a  necessary  supply  of  nurses  and  attendants;  the  Great  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre ;  Church  and  Convent  of  Gethsemane ;  Church 
and  Convent  of  St.  John  the  Forerunner;  the  Convent  of  Constan- 
tinc;  near  this  another  Greek  Church,  a  Greek  Convent,  Greek 
Nunnery,  Archimandrite's  Residence,  Nunnery  and  Alms-house  of 
St.  Basil.  In  other  portions  of  this  quarter  we  find  the  Convent 
of  St.  Theodore;  Church  of  the  Schismatics;  Russian  Consulate; 
various  school  buildings;  a  Copts  Convent,  and  near  it  a  French 
Hospital;  Franciscan  Convent,  and  various  smaller  establish- 
ments too  numerous  to  mention. 

In  the  Jews'  quarter,  marked  C,  are  several  buildings  of  note, 
synagogues,  schools,  dispensaries,  etc.;  while  the  Mohammedan 
quarter,  marked  D,  is  distinguished  by  the  prominent  city  offi- 
ces, Pasha's  establishment,  residence  of  the  Military  Governor, 
numerous  mosques,  residence  of  the  Cadi,  or  Chief  Justice, 
soldiers'  barracks,  Turkish  hospital,  several  large  bathing  estab- 
lishments, etc. 

The  Greek  and  Latin  churches  are  by  far  the  most  numerous 
of  any  of  the  Christian  sects  in  Jerusalem.  Dr.  Barclay  makes 
the  following  estimate  of  their  numbers : 

Greek  Church — 1  Patriarch;  1  Archimandrite;  6  Bishops; 
150  Priests;  90  Nuns;  100  boys  in  training  for  the  Priesthood; 

1  Theological,  and  3  Common  Schools;  12  Convents,  with  12 
Churches  attached;  1  Dispensary,  with  Physician  and  assist- 
ants.   Total  of  membership,  2,250. 

The  Latins — 1  Patriarch;  100  Priests;  10  Nuns;  2  Churches; 

2  Convents;  2  Hospitals,  with  male  and  female  Physicians;  1 
Alms-house;  1  House  of  Hospitality ;  1  Printing  establishment; 
1  Theological  Seminary ;  2  Common  Schools.  Total  of  mem- 
bers, 1,350. 

The  Armenians,  with  two  convents  and  churches,  number 
464;  other  smaller  sects,  with  4  convents  and  several  churches, 
number  in  all  204 ;  Protestants  about  250,  making  the  Chris- 
tian population  a  little  more  than  4,500. 

All  these  sects,  including  also  the  Nestorians  and  Maronites, 
have  chapels  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  the  great 


KELIGIOUS  SECTS. 


51 


center  of  interest  and  attraction.  The  Latins  and  Greeks  have 
also  several  thousand  members  in  their  various  convents  near 
the  city,  principally  Arabs.  Many  of  these  establishments  are 
richly  endowed,  and  the  numerous  offerings  of  the  faithful  en- 
able them  to  deck  their  churches,  chapels  and  altars  with  a 
gaudy  display  of  wealth. 

The  same  writer  we  have  quoted  above  gives  us  a  particular 
account  of  the  Protestant  missions  in  Jerusalem.  The  most 
efficient  and  best  sustained  of  these  is  the  "English  Episcopal 
Society  for  the  Jews."  Then  there  is  the  "  Church  Missionary 
Society,"  and  a  "  Lutheran  Evangelical  Department these  all 
co-operate  together.  The  American  Christian  Mission  is  for 
the  present,  I  believe,  suspended.  The  English  Church  Mission 
is  well  endowed  and  sustained.  They  have  a  splendid  church 
edifice,  now  called  "  The  Church  of  St.  James,"  which,  together 
with  the  consular  residence  attached,  cost  several  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  efforts  of  the  Protestant  missions  in  Je- 
rusalem have  not  been  attended  by  any  great  results.  There  are 
so  many  obstacles  in  the  way  of  these  devoted  Christian  labor- 
ers, such  an  amount  of  prejudice  and  bitter  opposition,  such 
strong  counteracting  influences  from  the  education,  habits  and 
associations  of  the  people,  progress  must  necessarily  be  very 
slow.    Let  us  now  turn  and  look  at 

THE   JEWISH  QUARTER. 

This,  on  our  plan  of  the  city,  is  marked  C,  and  lies  along  the 
east  of  Zion,  and  between  that  and  Mount  Moriah.  Alas,  son 
of  Abraham,  how  heavily  the  curse  has  settled  upon  thee ! 

The  number  of  Jews  in  Jerusalem  it  is  difficult  to  tell,  as  no 
regular  census§  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  is  taken.  The 
best  informed  estimate  the  number  from  six  thousand  to  eight 
thousand.  Of  these  there  are  two  great  sects.  The  Sephardim 
are  all  of  Spanish  origin.  Their  language  is  a  corrupt  Spanish, 
very  few  of  them  speaking  Arabic.  Though  subjects  of  the 
Sultan,  they  are  allowed  to  live  under  their  own  rabbinical 
laws.  Their  chief  rabbi  is  called  "the  Head  in  Zion,"  and 
his  principal  interpreter  has  a  seat  in  the  city  council.  Many 


4 


52 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


among  them  are  very  poor,  and  they  are  subjected  to  great 
privations. 

The  Askenazim  are  of  German  and  Polish  origin.  These  are 
all  foreigners,  and  are  under  the  government  of  the  consular 
agents  of  their  respective  countries.  They  are  said  to  be  a 
worthless,  indolent  class  of  people,  sustained  principally  from 
contributions  from  the  Jews  of  Europe.  From  this  source,  it 
is  said,  each  person  among  them,  rich  and  poor,  young  and  old, 
receives  between  seven  and  eight  dollars  annually.  The  effect 
of  these  charitable  donations  is  to  make  those  here  more  in- 
dolent, and  to  attract  annually  an  increasing  number  of  pau- 
pers to  the  place.  Bad  as  their  physical  condition  is,  those  best 
acquainted  with  them  think  their  mental  and  moral  condition 
still  worse.  "It  is  no  wonder,"  says  Dr.  Barclay,  "that  these 
down-trodden  out- casts  of  Israel  are  poor,  illiterate  and  bigoted, 
for  they  are  almost  entirely  disfranchised  and  constantly  mal- 
treated, not  only  by  their  Turkish  masters,  but  by  those  styling 
themselves  Christians  and  philanthropists.  Even  in  this  year 
of  grace,  1857,  it  would  cost  any  Jew  in  Jerusalem  his  life  to 
venture  into  the  so-called  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  or 
within  even  what  was  once  the  outer  court  of  his  beloved 
Temple!" 

The  same  writer  also  says :  "  The  present  condition  of  the 
Jews  in  Jerusalem  is  precisely  what  it  is  represented  to  have 
been  by  Hanani,  when  Nehemiah  attempted  its  restoration. 
'  The  remnant  that  are  left  of  the  captivity  there  in  the  prov- 
ince are  in  great  affliction  and  reproach,'  and  their  case  is  well 
calculated  to  produce  upon  us  the  same  effect  it  did  upon  the 
pious  old  Reformer,  when  he  sat  down,  mourned  and  wept  cer- 
tain days,  and  fasted  and  prayed  before  the  G^d  of  heaven! 
But,  alas !  how  few  there  are  that  sigh  and  cry  for  all  the  abom- 
inations that  be  done  in  the  midst  thereof!  Who  shall  have 
pity  on  thee,  O,  Jerusalem  ?  or  who  shall  bemoan  thee  ?  or  who 
shall  go  aside  to  ask  how  doest  thou?" 

MOHAMMEDAN  QUARTER. 

Now  turn  and  cast  your  eye  over  the  northeastern  portion 
of  the  city,  marked  D.    Here  the  followers  of  the  Prophet  con- 


CONSTRUCTION    OF    THE  HOUSES. 


53 


gregate.  Here  the  lordly  Turk  and  the  servile  Arab  find  a 
home.  The  Mohammedans  probably  number  some  four  to  five 
thousand,  and  are  mostly  natives  of  Syria.  The  officers  and 
soldiers  are  mostly  Turkish  foreigners.  They  have,  within  the 
walls  and  near  by,  eleven  mosques.  The  old  temple  area  on 
Moriah,  called  the  Haram,  is  their  most  holy  place;  a  strict 
guard  is  kept  around  it  to  prevent  the  intrusion  of  infidels,  and 
a  large  number  of  derwishees  connected  with  it  live  in  idleness 
on  its  ample  revenues. 

Isow  here  we  have  stood  on  this  old  Castle  of  David,  till  the 
sun  is  settliug  behind  yonder  hills  of  J udah,  and  night  is  rapid- 
ly closing  upon  us.  We  must  get  back  to  our  convent  home 
before  dark,  for  Jerusalem  is  a  dreary  place  in  the  night.  The 
streets  are  narrow  and  very  roughly  paved.  The  houses  are 
mostly  built  of  stone — a  kind  of  cream-colored  limestone — two, 
and  often  three  stories  high.  The  fronts  are  generally  plain, 
the  roofs  flat  and  covered  with  a  hard  cement,  and  often  sur- 
mounted by  a  dome,  and  surrounded  by  a  balustrade.  There 
are  so  very  few  trees  in  Palestine,  all  kinds  of  wood  is  very  ex- 
pensive and  is  seldom  used  in  their  buildings,  except  for  case- 
ments to  the  doors  and  windows.  The  floors  are  generally  of 
cement  or  stone,  and  the  roofs  of  cement  or  tiles.  This  scarci- 
ty of  timber  gives  rise  to  the  construction  of  numerous  arches, 
crypts,  vaults  and  domes  in  tiie  erection  of  their  buildings. 
The  dwelling  apartments  are  generally  in  the  upper  stories,  the 
lower  ones,  as  in  Cairo,  are  mostly  occupied  as  lumber-rooms, 
stables  and  receptacles  for  rubbish  of  all  kinds,  and  where  vari- 
ous tribes  of  vermin,  especially  fleas,  multiply  in  countless 
swarms.  There  are  no  gas-lights  to  cheer  the  narrow  thorough- 
fares; the  houses  seldom  have  windows  next  the  streets;  where 
there  are  any,  if  they  are  large  enough  to  admit  a  thief,  they 
are  grated  with  iron  like  a  prison.  It  is  quite  recently  that 
window  glass  has  been  introduced  into  a  few  houses  of  the 
better  class.  The  numerous  shops  and  bazars  are  all  closed  at 
nightfall,  and  the  law  enjoins  the  police  to  arrest  any  one  found 
on  the  streets  after  dark,  unless  he  carries  a  lantern.  Few  peo- 
ple are  out  in  the  evening ;  all  business  seems  to  be  suspended, 
and  darkness  envelops  the  city. 


54 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Here  we  are  at  the  gate  of  our  "  Pilgrims'  Home."  Supper 
is  not  quite  ready,  and  the  last  rays  of  the  departing  sun  are 
lingering  upon  the  top  of  Olivet;  let  us  go  up  a  few  minutes 
upon  the  house-top.  The  cemented  roof  is  as  clean  as  a  house 
floor,  and  inclining  only  at  a  slight  angle  to  allow  the  water  to 
run  off.  A  parapet  about  breast  high  encircles  it,  to  prevent  all 
danger  of  falling.  This  is  an  ancient  practice,  and  so  import- 
ant for  safety  a  special  law  concerning  it  was  given  to  the  an- 
cint  Israelites.  "  When  thou  bulkiest  a  new  house,  then  thou 
shalt  make  a  battlement  for  thy  roof,  that  thou  bring  not  blood 
upon  thine  house  if  any  man  fall  from  thence."  Deut.  xxii  8. 
These  flat  roofs  are  very  convenient,  and  are  used  for  a  great 
variety  of  purposes.  Here  the  stalks  of  flax  are  often  spread, 
to  undergo  the  process  of  rotting,  and  here  the  dressed  flax  is 
often  laid  to  be  bleached.  It  was  in  this  way  that  Rahab  con- 
cealed the  spices  Joshua  sent  to  Jericho ;  she  "  brought  them 
up  to  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  hid  them  with  the  stalks  of 
flax  which  she  had  laid  in  order  upon  the  roof."  Here  they 
stretch  their  lines  and  hang  their  clothes  to  dry;  here  they 
come  with  their  neighbors  to  hold  social  converse ;  and  here  is 
often  found  a  place  for  retirement  and  prayer.  Of  this  we 
have  an  illustration  now  before  us,  for  there  on  yonder  side  of 
the  roof  is  a  priest  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand,  walking  leisurely 
back  and  forth,  engaged  in  devout  meditation,  reminding  one 
of  Peter  when  he  went  upon  the  house-top  to  pray.  Here,  too, 
the  people  frequently,  in  the  heat  of  summer,  come  up  to  sleep, 
sometimes  spreading  their  couch  in  the  open  air,  sometimes 
erecting  small  booths  of  green  boughs,  an  allusion  to  which  is 
found  in  Nehemiah  viii.  9.  These  booths  I  often  saw  upon  the 
tops  of  the  houses.  What  a  pleasant  place  of  resort  this  house- 
top will  be  during  our  stay  in  the  city.  What  a  delightful 
prospect  we  shall  have  from  it !  Here  we  can  look  out  upon 
Zion,  Calvary,  Gethsemane  and  Olivet.  How  we  shall  delight 
to  come  up  and  spend  the  twilight  hours,  and  hold  communion 
with  Him  who  has  hallowed  these  places,  and  made  them  sacred 
by  the  intimacy  of  his  associations  with  them ! 

And  now  we  have  seen  the  city  as  it  is,  and  are  prepared  to 
continue  our  walks  about  it.    What  a  strange  interest  it  has  to 


THINGS    IN  JERUSALEM. 


55 


all  classes  of  persons!  The  Mohammedan  esteems  it;  to  him 
it  is  for  sanctity  the  third  city  of  the  world — Medina  and  Mec- 
ca only  are  placed  before  it.  To  the  Jew  and  the  Christian  it 
stands  unrivaled;  aud  one  would  think  from  the  eagerness  with, 
which  all  religions  congregate  here,  it  was  this  Jerusalem,  and 
not  the  one  that  is  above,  that,  as  Paul  says,  is  the  mother  of  us 
all.  But  there  is  our  bell.  Let  us  seek  refreshment  of  food 
and  rest.  To-morrow  we  will  have  a  ramble  among  the  places 
most  intimately  connected  with  the  history  of  our  Savior. 

SPARROWS. 

Sleep,  with  gentle  hand  and  strange,  soothing  skill,  has  re- 
lieved the  weariness  of  our  toil,  and  the  jocund  morning  in- 
vites us  to  renew  our  rambles.  Upon  stepping  from  my  room, 
one  of  the  first  things  that  attracted  my  attention  was  the 
countless  multitude  of  sparrows  that  filled  the  air  with  the 
harsh  music  of  their  incessant  chirping.  They  gather  upon 
the  house-tops,  and  find  a  home  in  the  crevices  of  the  walls, 
and  impudently  flutter  about  the  doors  and  windows.  I  sup- 
pose they  were  just  as  numerous  in  the  days  of  the  Savior, 
when  he  says  that  five  of  them  were  sold  for  two  farthings ; 
yet  insignificant  and  worthless  as  they  comparatively  were, 
God  took  care  of  them,  and  would  much  more  take  care  of  his 
children.  Though  they  are  a  lively,  cheerful  race  of  birds,  oc- 
casionally you  may  see  one  that  has  lost  his  mate.  He  sits 
perched  alone  upon  some  part  of  the  building,  and  in  mournful 
notes,  makes  known  his  sad  bereavement.  This,  I  suppose,  is 
where  David  got  his  striking  illustration  of  his  sorrow:  " I 
watch,  and  am  as  a  sparrow  alone  upon  the  house-top." 


56 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Rambles  in  Jerusalem — Mount  Zion — Valley  of  Hinnom — 
Hills  and  Tombs. 

I  found  in  the  city  two  clergymen  from  New  York  city,  Rev. 
Mr.  Newman  and  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  in  company  with  two 
English  clergymen,  and  we  were  soon  after  joined  by  six  other 
clergymen  from  England  and  Scotland.  Onr  association  with 
these  gentlemen  added  very  much  to  the  interest  of  our  excur- 
sions about  the  city.  At  this  time  Dr.  Barclay  also  arrived  in 
the  city  from  Jaffa.  I  presented  my  letter  of  introduction,  and 
was  cordially  received  by  the  Doctor  and  his  excellent  lady, 
who  accompanied  him.  It  was,  indeed,  a  great  and  unexpected 
privilege  to  have  the  advice  and  instruction  of  one  so  intimate- 
ly acquainted  with  the  Holy  City,  and  by  whom  every  nook 
and  corner  of  it  had  been  explored.  I  wish  here  publicly  to 
express  my  acknowledgments  for  the  assistance  received  from 
him  while  in  the  city,  and  my  indebtedness  for  the  information 
I  have  derived  from  his  elaborate  book — "The  City  of  the  Great 
King."  The  Doctor  not  being  specially  engaged,  kindly  offered 
to  honor  our  draft  for  any  amount  of  time  we  might  demand, 
in  conducting  us  to  the  interesting  localities  about  the  city. 
What  better  cicerone  could  we  wish  for  ?  His  offer  was  so  cor- 
dially and  cheerfully  made,  as  to  leave  no  doubt  of  its  sinceri- 
ty, and  we  did  not  hesitate  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  privilege. 
So  the  reader  will  understand  that  in  most  of  the  places  to 
which  we  are  now  about  to  take  him,  we  had  the  advantage  of 
the  information  that  one  who  had  spent  twenty  years  in  Jeru- 
salem and  its  vicinity  was  able  to  impart.  With  Dr.  Barclay, 
then,  for  a  guide  and  interpreter,  let  us  take  a  walk  about  Zion. 


STKEETS   AND    CONVEYANCES.  57 

What  narrow,  crooked,  miserable  streets  for  so  large  a  city ! 
The  houses  are  not  numbered,  and  it  is  only  recently  that  a  few 
of  the  principal  streets  have  received  names.  These  names  are 
highly  suggestive  of  the  days  of  olden  time ;  thus  we  have  the 
Street  of  Mount  Zion;  Street  of  the  Patriarchs ;  Street  of  David,  etc. 
The  average  width  of  these  streets  is  not  more  than  ten  feet, 
many  of  them  not  more  than  half  that  breadth,  and  most  of 
the  public  thoroughfares,  where  the  bazars  are  situated,  and  a 
great  part  of  the  business  done,  and  where  thousands  daily 
pass,  are  not  more  than  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  wide.  The  main 
streets  are  said  to  be  paved,  but  this  paving  is  made  of  stones 
of  all  sizes  and  shapes  carelessly  imbedded  in  the  soil,  the  sides 
raised  a  foot  or  so,  and  a  trench  left  through  the  middle.  How, 
you.  ask,  can  they  manage  to  do  their  business  in  such  misera- 
ble thoroughfares?  First,  they  have  no  carriages  to  block  up 
their  streets.  I  did  not  see  a  wheeled  vehicle  while  I  was  in 
Jerusalem — no,  not  so  much  as  a  wheel-barrow!  They  use 
camels,  horses,  mules  and  donkeys.  Every  thing  is  carried 
upon  the  backs  of  animals.  Sometimes  a  huge  camel,  with  a 
back-load  of  brush,  or  great  packages  of  hay  or  grass,  will  at- 
tempt to  pass  through  these  narrow  avenues,  filling  it  from  side 
to  side,  often  creating  severe  contests  for  the  right  of  way. 
Then,  again,  comparatively  few  women  are  seen  in  the  streets, 
and  those  few  adhere  to  the  time-honored  customs  of  dress 
that  have  come  down  from  the  days  of  Sarah  and  Rachael. 
When  the  modern  European  fashions  are  introduced  among 
the  ladies  here,  and  crinolice  gains  the  ascendency,  there  will 
be  an  end  of  business  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem.  Taking  the 
street  of  David,  a  few  minutes'  walk  will  bring  us  to 

THE   JAFFA  GATE. 

This  the  Arabs  call  Bab  el  Khalil,  "  Gate  of  a  Friend''' — that 
is,  Abraham — or  the  Friend  of  God.  A  little  to  the  right,  as 
you  approach  this  gate,  are  large  heaps  of  old  ruins ;  from  some 
of  the  mounds  the  great  stones  are  still  protruding,  and  many 
of  them  are  completely  covered  by  the  rank  grass  and  weeds. 
What  buildings  once  covered  this  ground  none  can  now  tell. 
What  uncounted  years  may  have  measured  the  period  of  their 


58 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


destruction  who  can  know?  Leaving  Jaffa  Gate  to  the  right, 
let  us  pass  along  the  ascending  slope,  and  again  we  are  on 
Mount  Zion.  Now  take  the  plan  of  Jerusalem  found  on  page 
48,  and  I  will  point  out  to  you  the  localities  as  we  proceed. 
Let  us  ascend  the  city  wall  and  walk  along  the  top.  You  see 
there  is  a  broad  terrace  near  the  top  wide  enough  for  two  or 
three  persons  to  walk  abreast,  while  upon  the  outside  a  parapet 
rises  as  high  as  your  head,  that  will  not  only  prevent  your  fall- 
ing in  that  direction,  but  is  also  pierced  with  loop-holes  through 
which  guns  can  be  pointed  in  case  of  an  attack.  At  conveni- 
ent distances  along  the  walls  towers  are  erected,  and  embrasures 
constructed,  and  in  these  widenings  in  the  walls  you  will  some- 
times find  small  chambers,  now  generally  in  a  dirty,  neglected 
condition,  but  in  times  of  danger  used,  I  suppose,  by  the  guards 
upon  the  wall. 

How  strange  it  seems  to  be  thus  walking  along  the  walls  of 
this  ancient  city !  How  forcibly  we  are  reminded  of  -  the  words 
of  the  Psalmist:  " Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her; 
tell  the  towers  thereof.  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks,  consider 
her  palaces,  that  ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generations  following." 
Standing  here  upon  the  west  wall  of  the  city,  you  may  look 
down  into  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  as  it  comes  winding  round 
from  the  south.  This  valley,  as  it  bends  away  to  the  westward, 
takes  the  name  of  Gihon ;  and  there,  just  near  us,  No.  6,  is 

THE   LOWER   POOL    OF  GIHON. 

The  Upper  Pool  lies  higher  up  the  valley,  a  little  above  No. 
18.  This  Upper  Pool  is  seven  hundred  yards  from  Jaffa  Gate. 
From  this  pool  the  course  of  the  valley  is  southeast  for  six 
huudred  and  thirty  yards  to  the  bend  opposite  the  Jaffa  Gate. 
Here  the  breadth  of  the  valley  is  one  hundred  yards,  and  its 
depth  forty-four  feet.  From  this  bend  it  runs  nearly  south  for 
a  short  distance,  having  Zion  on  one  side  and  a  rocky  acclivity 
on  the  other.  About  two  hundred  and  ninety  yards  from  the 
southern  bend  the  arched  acqueduct  from  Solomon's  Pools 
crosses  it ;  seventy-three  yards  lower  down  is  the  Lower  Pool  of 
Gihou.  Near  it  a  path  runs  across  the  valley,  leading  to  the 
Lethlehem  and  Hebron  road. 


POOLS    AND    KESEKYOIRS.  59 


These  two  reservoirs  are  undoubtedly  of  great  antiquity,  and 
many  interesting  allusions  are  made  to  them,  and  many  inter- 
esting facts  connected  with  them.  The  Upper  Pool  is  three 
hundred  feet  long,  two  hundred  feet  wide,  and  twenty  feet 
deep;  the  lower  one  is  six  hundred  feet  long,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  broad,  and  forty  feet  deep — immense  reservoirs,  capa- 
ble of  holding  water  for  thousands  of  people.  The  Bible  has 
several  notices  of  these  ancient  pools.  The  Prophet  Isaiah  was 
commanded  by  God  to  go  forth  and  meet  Ahaz  "at  the  end  of 
the  conduit  of  the  Upper  Pool,  in  the  highway  of  the  Fuller's 
Field."  Is.  vii.  3.  At  the  same  place  Rabshakeh  stood  when 
he  delivered  the  royal  message  of  his  imperious  master,  the 
King  of  Assyria,  to  the  messengers  of  Hezekiah.  The  story  is 
an  instructive  one,  and  may  be  read  in  the  36th  and  37th  chap- 
ters of  Isaiah. 

We  are  also  informed  in  2d  Chron.  xxxii.  30,  that  Hezekiah 
stopped  the  upper  outinow  of  the  waters  of  Gihon,  and  brought 
it  down  to  the  west  side  of  the  city  of  David  (Zion)."  In  con- 
firmation of  this,  on  the  east  slope  of  Zion,  near  the  Greek  con- 
vent, and  directly  behind  Hauser's  European  Hotel,  is  what  is 
now  called 

THE   FOUNTAIN   OF  HEZEKIAH. 

I  went  up  on  one  occasion  with  my  friend  Herrick  to  exam- 
ine it.  It  is  an  immense  reservoir,  two  hundred  and  forty  feet 
long  and  one  hundred  and  forty-four  feet  wide.  The  bottom 
is  formed  of  the  natural  rock,  leveled  and  cemented.  This  res- 
ervoir is  now  known  to  be  supplied  with  water  by  a  small  aque- 
duct from  the  Upper  Pool  of  Gihon.  There  are  several  other 
allusions  to  Hezekiah's  improvements  in  these  water-courses. 
It  is  said,  "he  made  a  pool  and  conduit  and  brought  water  into 
the  city.''  When  the  King  of  Assyria  came  up  to  besiege  Jeru- 
salem, Hezekiah  "took  counsel  with  his  princes  and  his  migh- 
ty men,  to  stop  the  waters  of  the  foutains  that  were  without  the 
city.  So  there  was  gathered  much  people  together  who  stopped 
all  the  fountains,  and  the  brook  that  ran  through  the  midst  of 
the  land,  saying :  Why  should  the  King  of  Assyria  come  and 
find  much  water?"    What  was  done  with  these  waters,  the 


60 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


course  of  which  was  thus  stopped  or  turned  ?  Many  evidences 
conspire  to  show  that  these  waters  were  brought  by  subterra- 
nean passages  into  the  city.  In  confirmation  of  this,  it  is  said, 
that  when  excavations  were  made  for  the  foundations  of  the 
English  church,  more  than  twenty  feet  below  the  surface  the 
workmen  came  upon  a  vaulted  chamber  of  fine  masonry  in  a 
perfect  state,  resting  upon  a  foundation  of  rock.  Within  it 
were  steps  leading  down  to  a  solid  mass  of  stone-work  covering 
an  immense  conduit,  partly  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and 
partly  built  with  even  courses  of  masonry,  and  lined  and  ce- 
mented an  inch  thick.  The  architect  traced  it  eastward  more 
than  two  hundred  feet.  Apertures  opened  into  it  at  intervals 
from  above,  and  the  bottom  was  so  nearly  level  that  water 
would  always  lie  upon  it  to  such  a  depth  as  to  enable  people  to 
draw  with  a  bucket  and  line.  May  not  this,  says  the  narrator, 
be  the  conduit  by  which  Hezekiah  brought  the  water  of  the 
fountain  of  Gihon  to  the  west  side  of  the  city  of  David  ?  But  we 
must  leave  these  pools.  It  seems  strange  to  be  loitering  about 
these  places,  and  pondering  over  these  events  in  which  Isaiah 
and  Hezekiah  took  a  part  nearly  two  thousand  five  hundred 
years  ago.  Let  us  now  pass  along  westward  towards  Zion  Gate. 
We  may  now  notice  another  remarkable 

FULFILLMENT    OF  PROPHECY. 

Several  portions  of  the  city  here  have  not  only  been  utterly 
destroyed,  but  have  not  been  rebuilt.  Here,  just  where  we  are 
now  walking,  and  within  the  walls,  are  several  large  patches 
of  ground  upon  which  the  barley  and  wheat  are  now  growing. 
But  a  few  weeks  since  the  plow  passed  over  that  ground,  and 
the  seed  was  scattered  upon  the  furrowed  soil;  and  close  by  it 
are  great  mounds  of  ruins  covered  with  vegetation.  Now  open 
your  Bible  and  turn  to  Micah,  3d  chapter  and  12th  verse,  and 
tell  me  who  taught  him  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago  to 
say :  "  Therefore  shall  Zion  be  plowed  as  a  field,  and  Jerusa- 
lem shall  become  heaps,  and  the  mountain  of  the  house  as  the 
high  places  of  the  forests  ?  "  Whose  Handwriting  can  you  read 
in  these  cultivated  fields  of  Zion  ?  and  who  has  left  there  the 
impress  of  his  unchanging  word?    Before  you  pass  out  of  the 


"WALKS    IN  JERUSALEM. 


61 


gate,  if  you  have  strong  nerves,  you  may  step  down  the  side- 
hill  a  little  to  the  east  and  look  into 

THE    HUTS   OF   THE  LEPERS. 

Anciently,  they  were  not  allowed  inside  the  gates,  but  the 
laws  of  ceremonial  uncleanness  have  passed  away,  and  they  are 
now  allowed  to  have  their  quarters  inside  the  inclosure,  though 
still  separated  from  the  other  houses  by  a  low  wall.  You  do 
not  often  see  any  of  them  inside  the  city,  but  you  may  meet 
little  squads  of  them  almost  any  day  about  Zion  and  Jaffa 
Gates.  They  never  approach  very  near  you,  but  sit  or  stand  at 
a  respectful  distance,  and  beg  most  piteously  for  alms.  They 
are  still,  as  in  ancient  days,  considered  unclean,  and  are  shunned, 
not  only  for  their  loathsome  appearance,  but  by  many  for  fear 
of  the  contagion.  The  most  that  are  now  found  in  the  land 
are  congregated  at  Jerusalem  and  fabulous ;  a  few  are  found 
about  other  cities,  and,  in  many  cases,  they  are  forbidden  to 
enter  within  the  gates. 

One  who  has  drawn  his  ideas  of  this  horrible  disease  only 
from  the  Bible,  and  from  the  manner  in  which  it  was  anciently 
regarded,  feels  strange  sensations  when  he  first  comes  in  con- 
tact with  it.  The  first  I  saw  of  it  was  among  a  crowd  of  beg- 
gars sitting  by  the  road-side  near  the  Jaffa  Gate.  There  were 
about  a  dozen  of  them  together,  and  as  I  approached  them  they 
began  in  strange,  piteous  cries  and  wails,  a  supplication  for  alms. 
They  are  generally  miserably  clad,  and  often  frightfully  dis- 
torted from  the  influence  of  the  disease.  The  disease  preys 
upon  all  parts  of  the  system ;  sometimes  the  face  is  swollen  and 
misshapen;  the  eye-brows  and  eye-lashes  have  fallen  off;  ears, 
chins  and  noses  are  missing;  the  palate,  perhaps,  has  been  eaten 
out  and  the  voice  is  strangely  affected.  Sometimes  the  nails 
loosen  and  drop  off,  and  joint  after  joint  of  the  fingers  and  toes 
dry  up  and  disappear,  and  all  kinds  of  hideous  deformities  dis- 
gust the  spectator.  The  disease  is  hereditary,  and  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  these  disgusting  specimens  of  humanity  intermarry, 
and  perpetuate  their  awful  and  mysterious  disease  among  their 
offspring.  It  is  this  disease  that  is  made  in  the  word  of  God  a 
striking  symbol  of  man's  moral  leprosy — the  fearful  workings 


62 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


of  sin  in  the  moral  constitution — a  disease  that  none  but  God 
can  cure. 

RUINS    OF    AN   ANCIENT  BRIDGE. 

While  in  this  part  of  the  city,  Dr.  Barclay  called  our  atten- 
tion to  the  remains  of  an  old  bridge  or  causeway  that  once 
crossed  the  Tyropean,  connecting  Mount  Zion  with  Mount  Mo- 
riah.  This  ancient  structure  has  almost  entirely  disappeared, 
but  on  the  Moriah  side,  where  it  united  with  the  temple  wall,  a 
portion  of  an  arch  is  still  to  be  seen,  sufficient  to  show  the  na- 
ture and  probable  size  of  the  structure.  The  span  of  this  ru- 
ined arch  must  have  been  about  forty-one  feet.  The  Doctor 
calculates  there  must  have  been  five  of  these  arches  to  cross  the 
valley,  and  as  an  immense  heft  of  stone  was  to  be  supported, 
these  arches  were  of  enormous  strength.  Some  of  the  stones 
now  seen  in  the  ruins  are  nearly  six  feet  thick,  and  from  twenty 
to  twenty-five  feet  long. 

This  is  the  bridge  supposed  to  be  mentioned  by  Josephus,  the 
construction  of  which  is  ascribed  to  Solomon.  The  only  objec- 
tion that  has  been  raised  to  this  is,  that  the  arch  was  unknown 
in  the  days  of  Solomon ;  but  recent  discoveries  show  conclu- 
sively that  the  arch  and  the  keystone  were  as  well  known  in 
the  days  of  Solomon  as  in  modern  times. 

This  is  also  supposed  to  be  the  wonderful  ascent  to  the  House 
of  the  Lord,  that  so  astonished  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  when  she 
came  to  Jerusalem  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  and  to  see 
his  mighty  works.  It  seemed  strange,  indeed,  to  be  standing 
upon  the  ruins  of  structures  that  were  a  thousand  years  old 
when  Christ  walked  the  streets  of  Jerusalem ;  to  be  ranging 
over  the  ground  where  Solomon  walked  with  the  renowned 
queen,  who  came  to  him  with  all  the  pomp  and  splendor  and 
magnificent  retinue  of  an  Eastern  court,  only  to  be  overcome 
with  a  transport  of  astonishment  at  the  astounding  exhibition 
of  wealth  and  the  impressive  displays  of  wisdom  she  saw 
around  her.  Surely,  the  hoary  stamp  of  age  is  on  these  ruins, 
and  they  are  eloquent  with  the  lessons  of  the  past ! 

Returning  to  the  summit  of  Zion,  and  passing  out  of  Zion 
Gate,  we  reached  the  supposed  resting  place  of  David,  Israel's 


THE    TOMB    OF  DAVID. 


G3 


king,  No.  5.  The  place  is  a  little  down  the  southern  slope  of 
Zion,  and  is  covered  by  a  pile  of  buildings  from  which  rises  a 
conspicuous  minaret,  one  of  the  most  imposing  objects  seen  on 
this  side  of  the  city.  This  place,  in  the  estimation  of  its  Mo- 
hammedan owners,  is  one  of  the  most  sacred  localities  in  all  El 
Khuds  (the  Holy).  The  first  time  I  undertook  to  approach  it 
in  company  with  my  friend,  a  hyena-looking  dog  chased  us 
from  the  premises,  and  the  Christian-hating  loungers  about  the 
place,  instead  of  preventing  it,  we  thought  hissed  him  on.  To- 
day we  have  a  respectable  number  in  our  company,  and  with 
Dr.  Barclay  to  conduct  us,  shall  get  admittance  to  such  portions 
of  the  building  as  Franks  are  allowed  to  visit.    We  first  enter 

THE  CfflNACULUM, 

Or  dining-room — a  large  upper  room,  so  called  because  it  is 
said  to  be  the  place  where  Jesus  held  his  last  supper  with  his 
disciples,  ate  with  them  the  passover,  and  instituted  the  memo- 
rial feast  in  remembrance  of  his  bruised  and  broken  body  and 
flowing  blood.  The  room  is  fifty  feet  long  and  thirty  feet  wide — 
"  he  will  show  you,"  said  the  Savior,  "  a  large  upper  room."  That 
this  room  is  very  ancient  none  can  question,  and  may,  perhaps, 
says  one,  be  the  same — the  site  is  unquestionably  the  same — re- 
ferred to  by  Cyril,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  in  the  middle  of  the 
fourth  century,  as  the  place  in  which  the  apostles  were  assem- 
bled on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  they  received  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Epiphanius,  towards  the  close  of  the  same 
century,  states  that  this  building,  with  a  few  others  near  it,  es- 
caped destruction  when  Titus  overthrew  the  city. 

On  this  Mount  Zion,  Christ  ate  the  last  supper  with  his  dis- 
ciples. From  that  interview  he  went  out  with  them  to  go  down 
into  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  from  thence  to  be  taken  to  the 
Hall  of  Pilate  and  the  Cross  of  Calvary.  On  this  mount  the 
Spirit  was  poured  out,  and  Peter  preached  on  that  memorable 
occasion,  when  three  thousand  converts  were  added  to  their 
number.  Was  this  the  room  in  which  these  wonderful  events 
connected  with  the  infancy  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  trans- 
pired? It  seems  scarcely  credible,  and  yet  many  here  believe 
it  to  be  so.    If  so,  there  was  a  depth  of  meaning  in  those  words 


64 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


of  Peter,  as  he  rehearsed  the  history  of  the  .past  in  that  mem- 
orable sermon :  "  Men  and  brethren,  let  me  freely  speak  unto 
you  of  the  patriarch  David,  that  he  is  both  dead  and  buried, 
and  his  sepulchre  is  with  us  unto  this  day."    Acts  ii.  29. 

THE  SEPULCHRE. 

Beneath  this  Ccenaculum,  in  the  deep,  rock-hewn  vault,  they 
say  David's  remains  were  laid.  "But  is  there  any  certainty,"  I 
hear  you  ask,  "that  his  tomb  is  here?"  We  know  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  have  tombs  hewn  in  the  rocks,  and  the  royal  sepul- 
chres were  undoubtedly  cut  at  great  expense,  and  would  not  be 
places  likely,  soon,  if  ever,  to  be  destroyed.  That  David  and 
other  succeeding  monarchs  were  buried  on  Mount  Zion,  is  a 
plainly  attested  fact  in  the  word  of  God.  His  tomb  appears  to 
have  been  well  known  in  the  days  of  Josephus,  for  that  histo- 
rian says  that  Solomon  buried  David  with  great  pomp,  and 
placed  immense  treasures  along  with  his  body  in  the  tomb. 
These,  we  are  informed,  remained  undisturbed  until  the  time  of 
Hyrcanus,  the  son  of  Simon  Maccabeus,  who,  being  besieged 
by  Antiochus  Pius,  and  wishing  to  give  him  money  to  raise  the 
siege,  opened  one  room  of  David's  sepulchre  and  took  out  three 
thousand  talents.  It  is  said  the  tomb  was  again  opened  and 
plundered  by  Herod  the  Great,  who  was  disappointed  at  not 
finding  more  money,  and  consequently  made  an  attempt  to 
penetrate  as  far  as  the  bodies,  but,  the  account  continues,  "two 
of  his  guards  were  killed  by  a  flame  that  burst  out  upon  them," 
and  the  sacrilegious  purpose  was  abandoned.  These  tombs  be- 
ing known  at  so  late  a  period,  the  knowledge  of  the  site  would 
not  be  likely  to  have  since  been  lost. 

And  now  would  you  like  to  go  down  and  stand  within  the 
rock-hewn  chamber,  and  look  upon  the  place  where  the  great 
monarch  and  sweet  singer  found  at  last  a  quiet  place  of  re- 
pose ?  It  would,  indeed,  repay  the  labor  of  a  long  pilgrimage, 
thus  to  stand  in  the  sepulchre  of  David ;  but  alas !  we  cannot 
go.  You  can  come  into  these  upper  rooms,  and  wander  through 
these  chambers,  but  the  sepulchre  beneath,  like  the  Dome  of 
the  Eock,  and  the  Cave  of  Machpelah,  is  one  of  those  sacred 
places  that  the  Moslem  regards  with  such  superstitious  awe  and 


THE    TOMB    OF  DAVID. 


05 


bigoted  reverence,  that  he  has  not  only  placed  the  barrier  of  a 
rigid  law,  but  loaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets  between  it 
and  the  Jew  or  the  Christian,  that  it  may  no  more  be  polluted 
by  the  presence  of  either.  The  potent  power  of  backsheesh 
even  loses  all  its  magic  charms.  Stand  back,  you  cannot  enter. 
It  does  arouse  a  little  of  the  vindictive  feelings  of  one's  nature, 
to  come  thousands  of  miles  to  visit  the  homes  and  tombs  of 
patriarchs  and  prophets,  and  then,  when  you  approach  some 
consecrated  spot,  have  a  liveried  soldier  thrust  his  gleaming 
bayonet  at  you,  and  warn  you  off,  simply  because  he  hates  the 
man  that  does  not  love  his  Prophet. 

But  has  any  one  ever  visited  the  tomb  who  could  give  us  a 
description  of  it?  Dr.  Barclay's  daughter  is,  I  believe,  the  only 
Christian  that,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  has  found  admittance 
to  the  holy  of  holies  of  this  Moslem  sanctuary.  The  story  is 
too  long  to  repeat  here;  the  Doctor  has  given  it  at  length  in 
his  elaborate  work,  "The  City  of  the  Great  King."  It  was 
through  the  connivance  of  a  Moslem  lady  connected  with  the 
guard  of  the  tomb,  and  was  stealthily  and  hastily  accomplished 
one  Friday  noon,  during  a  season  of  special  prayer  at  the  great 
Mosque  of  Omar,  held  by  order  of  the  Sultan.  Disguised  in 
the  costume  of  a  Moslem  lady,  she  was  conducted  to  the  sacred 
inclosure,  and  has  given  us  the  following  description : 

"The  room  is  insignificant  in  its  dimensions,  but  is  furnished  very  gorgeously. 
The  tomb  is  apparently  an  immense  sarcophagus  of  rough  stone,  and  is  covered 
by  green  satin  tapestry,  richly  embroidered  with  gold.  To  this  a  piece  of  black 
velvet  is  attached,  with  a  few  inscriptions  from  the  Koran,  embroidered  also  in 
gold.  A  satin  canopy  of  red,  blue,  green  and  yellow  stripes  hangs  over  the  tomb, 
and  another  piece  of  black  velvet  tapestry,  embroidered  in  silver,  covers  a  door  in 
one  end  of  the  room,  which  they  said,  leads  to  a  cave  underneath.  Two  tall  silver 
candlesticks  stand  before  this  door,  and  a  little  lamp  hangs  in  a  window  near  it, 
which  is  kept  constantly  burning,  and  whose  wick,  though  saturated  with  oil — and 
I  dare  say  a  most  nauseous  dose — my  devotional  companion  eagerly  swallowed, 
muttering  to  herself  a  prayer  with  many  a  genuflection.  She  then,  in  addition  to 
their  usual  forms  of  prayer,  prostrated  herself  before  the  tomb,  raised  the  cover- 
ing, pressed  her  forehead  to  the  stone,  and  then  kissed  it  many  times.  The  ceil- 
ing of  the  room  is  vaulted,  and  the  walls  covered  in  blue  porcelain,  in  floral  fig- 
ures. Having  remained  here  an  hour  or  more  and  completed  my  sketch,  we  left  ; 
and  great  was  my  rejoicing  when  I  found  myself  once  more  at  home,  out  of  dan- 
ger, and  still  better,  out  of  my  awkward  costume." 


66 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Whether  this  is  the  real  tomb  of  David  or  not  may  be  ques- 
tioned ;  but  when  we  consider  the  fact  that  it  must  have  been 
in  this  immediate  vicinity,  was  known  in  the  days  of  the  apos- 
tles, was  known  to  Josephus,  and  was  a  spot  that  Jew,  Chris- 
tian and  Mussulman  alike  have  reverenced,  it  seems  hardly 
probable  the  locality  would  ever  have  been  lost.  If  this  is  the 
place, 4hen  are  we  indeed  standing  upon  consecrated  ground, 
and  beneath  us  repose  the  ashes  of  one  whose  royal  palace 
adorned  this  hill-top,  whose  fame  brightens  the  pages  of  sacred 
history,  and  whose  spiritual  songs  will  continue  to  inspire  the 
warm  devotions  of  the  pious  heart  through  all  coming  time! 

A  little  to  the  north  of  the  Tomb  of  David  is  pointed  out 
another  small  building,  which  tradition  fixes  as  the  spot  where 
Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  spent  the  last  years  of  her  life. 
Near  by,  we  are  also  shown 

THE   PALACE   OF  CAIPHAS. 

This  is  the  reputed  place  where  the  council  of  scribes,  elders 
and  priests  met  by  order  of  Caiphas,  the  High-priest,  for  the 
trial  of  Jesus.  Some  say  this  is  not  the  building,  but  that  this 
structure  was  erected  at  a  very  early  period  of  the  Christian 
era  on  the  site  of  the  high-priest's  palace.  This  pile  of  build- 
ings, now  a  church  and  a  convent,  is  owned  by  the  Armenians, 
and  was  once  known  as  the  church  of  St.  Salvator.  We  had 
been  told  there  were  some  curious  relics  of  antiquity  here,  and 
slipping  a  backsheesh  into  the  hand  of  an  old  monk,  he  opened 
the  door  for  us.  We  were  first  taken  to  the  altar  of  the  church, 
beneath  which  our  devout  guide  reverently  uncovered  a  large 
stone  slab  set  into  the  wall,  a  portion  of  the  flat  side  visible, 
which  he  solemnly  assured  us — and  I  have  no  doubt  but  he  be- 
lieved it — was  the  veritable  stone  that  covered  the  tomb  of  Jesus, 
that  was  removed  by  the  angel,  and  on  which  he  sat  when  the 
women  came  to  the  sepulchre  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrec- 
tion. As  that  stone  has  been  taken  away  from  the  sepulchre, 
and  is  not  known  any  where  else,  we  had  no  means  of  disprov- 
ing the  assertion;  so  passing  our  hand  over  the  surface,  and 
casting  an  earnest,  though  I  confess  a  somewhat  incredulous 
look  at  it,  we  passed  on.    We  were  next  taken  into  a  little 


THE    AEMENI  AN  CONVENT. 


67 


room,  now  highly  decorated  with  pictures  and  ornaments,  and 
were  gravely  informed  that  this  was  the  prison  in  which  Jesus 
was  confined  during  the  night  in  which  he  was  arrested  and 
put  on  trial  for  his  life.  As  we  were  shown  another  prison  in 
another  part  of  Jerusalem,  said  to  have  been  used  on  the  same 
occasion  and  for  the  same  purpose,  we,  of  course,  had  a  right 
to  be  skeptical  in  regard  to  both  of  them.  But  "I  understand," 
said  I,  "you  can  show  us  here 

THE    COCK   THAT  CREW 

When  Peter  denied  his  Lord."  "  0,  yes,  we  can  show  him," 
said  our  monkish  guide;  but  I  thought  I  discovered  a  little 
twinkle  of  humor  about  his  eye  struggling  for  ascendency  over 
the  devout  and  reverend  mien  into  which,  from  long  habit,  his 
features  had  settled.  Following  him  to  a  side  of  the  room, 
he  drew  aside  a  curtain  that  concealed,  hanging  upon  the  wall, 
the  picture  of  a  sorry-looking  'game-cock.  The  work  had, 
most  assuredly,  been  executed  by  an  apprentice  hand,  and  the 
plumage  looked  as  if  it  had  been  ruffled  in  a  fight  and  smoothed 
in  a  rain-storm.  "  Then  that  is  the  cock?  "  said  one  of  our  com- 
pany, somewhat  inquiringly.  "To  be  sure  it  is,"  said  the  ex- 
hibitor. "But  that  is  only  a  picture."  "Sure  it  is  a  picture 
of  him;  you  did  n't  expect  to  see  the  live  rooster,  did  you?  He 
would  be  a  pretty  old  bird  to  live  to  this  time."  A  burst  of 
laughter  from  the  whole  company  followed  this  denouement, 
in  which  our  sedate  conductor  joined  with  apparently  great 
satisfaction.  Having  satisfied  our  curiosity,  with  the  image  of 
that  "rooster"  daguerreotyped  upon  our  minds,  we  passed  on. 
This  building  is  also  a  cemetery  of  the  Armenian  Patriarchs. 
Deposited  in  the  walls,  and  beneath  the  marble  slabs  of  the 
floors  and  the  courts,  molders  the  dust  of  many  a  once  honored 
ecclesiastic.  What  contrasts  we  meet  on  this  hill  of  Zion  !  From 
the  monarchs  of  Israel,  the  high-priests  of  the  law,  and  the  dig- 
nitaries of  the  church,  to  the  miserable  lepers  in  their  poverty, 
death  here  has  done  his  work,  and  on  the  cold  breast  of  the 
silent  grave  high  and  low  alike  repose. 

On  this  portion  of  Mount  Zion  are  several  other  cemeteries. 

Here  is  a  large  Armenian  burying-ground.    The  graves  are  dis- 
5 


i 


68 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


tingnished  by  being  a  little  elevated,  and  covered  by  a  flat  slab. 
On  the  slab  was  generally  chiseled  the  name  of  the  person,  ac- ' 
companied  by  the  emblems  of  his  trade  or  profession — if  a 
blacksmith,  an  anvil  and  hammer;  if  a  shoe-maker,  an  awl 
and  last,  and  so  on  through  an  almost  endless  variety  of  de- 
vices. Here,  too,  is  an  English  burying-ground,  and  near  by  it 
is  a  little  plat  of  ground,  recently  purchased,  surrounded  by  a 
high  stone  wall,  and  the  entrance  secured  by  a  strong  gate,  con- 
secrated as  a  burial-place  for  Americans  dying  at  Jerusalem. 
I  climbed  upon  the  wall  and  looked  into  the  inclosure.  Only 
two  or  three  graves  had  yet  been  opened;  a  thick  mat  of  grass 
covered  the  ground,  and  one  solitary  tree  cast  its  shadow  upon 
the  spot.  Just  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  is  an  English 
mission-house,  where  one  of  our  countrymen,  a  Mr.  Roberts, 
who  had  been  employed  as  a  tract  distributor  and  missionary, 
lay  sick.  His  disease  was  consumption,  and  there  were  no  hopes 
of  his  recovery.  Some  of  our'  company  visited  him  occasion- 
ally, read  the  Bible  for  him,  and  prayed  with  him.  We  also 
made  him  a  contribution  of  funds  through  the  American  Con- 
sul, as  we  understood  he  was  in  destitute  circumstances.  Soon 
after  we  left  we  learned  of  his  death,  and  a  fresh  mound  has 
been  added  to  the  little  number  embraced  in  the  inclosure.  It 
seemed  sad  to  die  so  far  from  one's  native  land,  home  and  kin- 
dred ;  but  it  was  a  pleasant  thought  that  even  here  the  sick 
could  be  reached  by  the  sympathy  of  kind  hearts,  the  dying 
hour  be  cheered,  and  a  secure  and  quiet  resting-place  for  the 
dead  be  found.  We  now  passed  down  the  southern  acclivity  of 
Zion  into 

THE    RENOWNED   VALLEY    OP  HINNOM. 

This  is  called  in  the  Bible  "Valley  of  the  Son  of  Hinnorn," 
and  in  the  Hebrew  Ge  Hinnom.  The  Arabs  call  it  Wady  Je- 
henam,  which  is  evidently  the  Hebrew  name  transferred  to 
their  language.  In  this  valley,  as  we  proceed,  we  shall  find  the 
Gehenna  and  Tophet  of  scripture.  An  ancient  allusion  to  this 
valley  is  important,  as  it  fixes  the  boundary  line  between  Judah 
and  Benjamin.  In  Joshua  it  is  said  :  "And  the  border  passed 
towards  the  waters  of  Enshemesh,  and  the  goings  out  thereof 


VALLEY   OF   HINNOM.  69 

were  at  En-Rogel" — now  the  well  of  Joab  at  the  junction  of 
the  Hinnom  and  Kedron — uand  the  border  went  up  by  the  val- 
ley of  the  Son  of  Hinnom  unto  the  south  side  of  the  Jebusite ; 
the  same  is  Jerusalem ;  and"  the  border  went  up  to  the  top  of 
the  mountain  that  lieth  before  the  valley  of  Hinnom  westward, 
which  is  at  the  end  of  the  valley  of  Rephaim  (Giants)  north- 
ward." A  piece  of  more  careful  and  minute  topography,  says 
one,  than  is  here  given,  could  scarcely  be  imagined.  So  accu- 
rately is  this  line  defined  by  these  natural  boundaries,  that  one 
would  have  no  more  difficulty  in  tracing  it  now  than  near  thir- 
ty-five hundred  years  ago,  when  the  boundaries  of  the  tribes 
were  first  located.  As  we  came  down  into  the  valley  turning 
eastward,  we  had  upon  our  right  No.  8, 

THE    HILL    OP   EVIL  COUNCIL. 

It  is  so  called  from  a  tradition  that  the  residence  of  Caiphas 
was  located  upon  its  summit,  and  that  here  the  chief  priests  and 
scribes  assembled  together  to  take  council  against  Jesus.  Upon 
the  top  of  it  are  still  seen  the  ruins  of  some  large  structure, 
supposed  to  have  been  a  Christian  convent.  In  one  corner  of 
this  old  ruin  is  an  oratory,  or  place  of  prayer,  held  in  great  rev- 
erence by  "  the  faithful About  one  hundred  yards  from  this 
stands  a  solitary,  ill-shapen  tree,  a  large  limb  bending  over  and 
forming  so  convenient  a  place  for  a  gallows,  it  has  obtained  the 
name  of  "  Judas  tree."  This  hill,  or  mountain  as  it  might  be 
called,  rises  to  the  hight  of  about  five  hundred  feet  above  the 
Pool  of  Siloam,  near  the  lower  part  of  the  valley.  It  was  here 
that  Pompey  encamped  when  he  laid  siege  to  Jerusalem  about 
sixty-three  years  B.  C.  Between  this  hill  and  the  high  ridge 
to  the  left  of  it,  passes  the  road  that  leads  to  Bethlehem,  IsTo  7. 

We  now  pass  along  down  the  valley  in  an  easterly  direction. 
I  find  in  Murray's  Guide-Book  the  following  measurements  from 
p  .ace  to  place  in  the  valley.  It  commences  on  the  west  of  the 
city,  its  upper  part  resembling  a  large  shallow  basin,  in  the 
center  of  which,  seven  hundred  yards  from  the  Jaffa  Gate,  is  the 
Upper  Pool  or  Gihon.  From  this  pool  its  course  is  nearly 
southeast,  six  hundred  and  thirty  yards  to  the  bend  opposite 
Jaffa  Gate,  where  its  breadth  is  about  one  hundred  yards  and 


70  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

its  depth  forty-four  feet.  It  now  turns  south  between  Zion  on 
one  side  and  a  rocky  acclivity  on  the  other,  and  at  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety  yards  is  crossed  by  the  arched  aqueduct  from 
Solomon's  Pools.  At  seventy-three  yards  further  is  the  Lower 
Pool  of  Gihon,  now  called  Birket  es  Sultan.  This  is  directly 
below  the  southwestern  angle  of  the  city  wall,  which  forms  a 
fine  object  over  head,  crowning  the  steep  brow  of  Zion.  At 
one  hundred  and  forty  yards  below  the  pool,  the  valley  again 
turns  eastward,  continuing  about  the  same  breadth,  but  increas- 
ing rapidly  in  depth.  The  bottom  of  the  valley  is  covered  with 
loose  stones;  still  it  is  cultivated,  and  many  portions  of  it 
abound  with  olive  trees.  Towards  the  lower  end  it  continues 
to  widen,  and  unites  with  the  Kidron  or  Yalley  of  Jehoshaphat 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-two  yards  below  the  last  bend.  The 
valley  is  a  place  of 

TOMBS    AND  SEPULCHRES. 

We  have  seen  the  tomb  of  David,  and  other  tombs  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  valley,  high  up  the  side  of  Zion.  All  along 
the  southern  side  of  the  valley  is  a  steep,  rocky  ledge,  and  mul- 
titudes of  tombs  have  been  cut  and  carved  along  its  entire  sur- 
face. They  are  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  most  of  them 
plainly  constructed,  some  of  them  dug  far  into  the  hill-side. 
Many  of  them  have  now  been  entirely  destroyed.  In  erecting 
some  of  the  modern  convents,  the  builders  found  it  a  very  easy 
way  of  quarrying  stones  to  put  a  quantity  of  powder  into  one 
of  these  rocky  excavations  and  apply  a  slow-match.  The  ex- 
plosion would  produce  for  them  a  mass  of  stone  already  squared 
upon  one  side  ready  for  their  walls.  Many  portions  of  these 
old  tombs  still  remaining,  give  evidence  of  the  explosive  power 
to  which  they  have  thus  been  subjected.  In  one  place  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley,  our  attention  was  called  to  a  large 
portion  of  the  rock,  graded  and  smoothed,  level  as  a  house  floor. 
This  was  an  ancient  threshing-floor,  precisely  such,  I  suppose, 
as  Araunah,  the  Jebusite,  had  on  Mount  Moriah.  As  you  ap- 
proach the  Kidron,  Hinnom  rapidly  deepens  into  a  gloomy  dell. 
It  is  a  wild,  dismal,  looking  place.  The  south  side  rises  high 
above  your  head  in  an  irregular  frowning  cliff.    In  this  deep, 


WALKS    ABOUT  JERUSALEM. 


71 


rocky  precipice  just  above  the  junction  of  the  two  valleys,  No. 
9,  tradition  locates 

ACELDAMA,    "THE   FIELD    OF  BLOOD." 

How  vividly,  as  I  gazed  upon  it,  it  brought  to  my  mind  that 
fearful  night  in  the  life  of  the  Savior,  when  Judas,  in  company 
with  the  priests,  balanced  thirty  pieces  of  silver  against  the 
blood  of  his  master.  "  This  man  purchased  a  field  with  the  re- 
ward of  iniquity,  and  falling  down  in  the  midst  thereof,  all  his 
bowels  gushed  out."  As  we  looked  up  to  that  fearful  precipice 
above  us,  we  were  almost  persuaded  to  think  that  this  was  re- 
ally the  scene  of  that  awful  tragedy — that  on  some  projecting 
limb  upon  the  top  of  yonder  hight,  the  conscience-smitten  Ju- 
das suspended  himself,  and  from  his  frail  and  broken  rope  came 
tumbling  down  these  fearful  hights.  Indeed,  it  is  the  opinion 
of  some  best  acquainted  with  localities  here,  that  this  was  real- 
ly the  place  where  that  apostate  met  his  fate. 

This  whole  cliff  is  full  of  tombs.  The  rock  has  been  cut  out 
and  penetrated  in  all  directions.  Portions  of  the  front  of  Acel- 
dama have  been  built  up  with  stone  masonry,  and  behind  this 
is  a  deep  cave.  We  crowded  into  one  of  these  excavations  and 
wound  our  way  among  the  gloomy  sepulchral  passages.  In 
some  places  large  quantities  of  bones  can  still  be  seen  scattered 
about  in  promiscuous  confusion.  One  of  my  companions,  seized 
with  a  sudden  impulse  for  gathering  relics,  picked  up  a  dirty 
old  skull,  and  declared  his  intention  of  transporting  it  from 
"  The  Field  of  Blood "  to  his  American  home,  but  before  we 
reached  daylight  he  abandoned  his  purpose,  and  left  it  to  mol- 
der  among  its  kindred  bones.  It  is  stated  that  the  dirt  of  this 
charnel-house  was  anciently  reputed  to  possess  the  remarkable 
quality  of  consuming  the  flesh  of  bodies  cast  into  it  in  the  brief 
space  of  twenty-four  hours,  without  their  undergoing  corrup- 
tion. On  this  account,  about  1812,  many  ship-loads  of  the  dirt 
were  taken  to  Pisa,  in  Italy,  to  form  the  celebrated  Campo  Santo. 
It  was  a  loathsome  place,  and  we  made  our  visit  very  brief. 
Emerging  once  more  into  the  light  of  day,  we  realized  more 
than  ever  before  the  loneliness  and  dreariness  of 

"  The  deep,  damp  vault,  the  darkness  and  the  worm." 


72  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

Nearly  opposite  Aceldama,  at  No.  10,  is  the  Pool  of  Siloam ; 
but  before  we  stop  to  examine  it  we  will  pass  a  little  farther 
down,  and  just  at  the  junction  of  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat 
with  the  Kidron,  we  shall  find  a  remarkable  well,  called  by  the 
Arabs,  Bir  HJyub,  and  by  the  Franks,  the  Well  of  Nehemiah, 
now  commonly  known  as 

THE    WELL   OF   JOAB   OR  JOB. 

This  is  the  En-Rogel  of  the  Old  Testament,  one  of  the  an- 
cient landmarks  in  locating  the  boundaries  of  the  tribes.  It  is 
a  large  well,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  deep,  strongly 
walled  up  with  large  hewn  stones.  This  wall  terminates  in  an 
arch  at  the  top,  evidently  built  in  very  ancient  times.  There 
is  at  all  times  plenty  of  water  in  the  well,  and  during  the  rainy 
season  it  overflows.  The  water  of  this  well  is  excellent,  and  it 
is  still  a  place  of  great  resort.  A  large  flat  stone,  with  a  circu- 
lar hole  in  the  center,  constitutes  the  mouth  of  the  well.  The 
water  is  still  drawn,  as  in  ancient  times,  in  leather  buckets  or 
earthen  jars  attached  to  ropes.  I  was  particularly  struck  by 
the  deep  creases  worn  in  the  solid  rock,  where  these  ropes,  for 
many  centuries,  had  been  drawn  up  and  down. 

Standing  upon  the  mouth  of  this  well,  we  may  recall  two  or 
three  of  the  events  that  have  transpired  here.  Nearly  three 
thousand  years  ago  Absalom  instigated  a  revolt  against  his 
father  David,  and  made  an  attempt  to  seize  upon  the  kingdom. 
David  was  forced  to  flee  from  Jerusalem,  and  took  refuge  near 
the  Jordan.  Jonathan  and  Ahimaaz  returned  to  see  what 
tidings  they  could  gather  of  the  progress  of  the  rebellion. 
Fearing  to  come  into  the  city  lest  they  should  be  suspected  as 
spies,  they  tarried  by  this  well.  A  lad  saw  them  here,  knew 
them,  and  immediately  carried  the  tidings  to  Absalom,  Absa- 
lom's servants  pursued  them,  but  a  loyal  woman  had  a  well  in 
the  court  of  her  house  into  which  they  descended,  and  she  laid 
a  cloth  over  its  mouth  and  spread  corn  upon  it  to  dry;  and  the 
unsuspecting  emissaries  of  a  rebellious  son  passed  on  without 
suspecting  the  deception.  They  were,  able  to  return  to  Dayid 
with  such  information  as  to  save  him  from  the  wicked  plot  of  a 
rebellious  son. 


THE    VALLEY    OF  H1NNOM. 


73 


As  this  well  has  been  a  rallying  place  for  David's  friends,  so 
has  it  for  his  enemies.  Seventy  years  had  passed  over  his  head, 
and  the  infirmities  of  age  had  settled  down  upon  him.  Absa- 
lom, his  first  born,  had  pierced  his  father's  heart  with  many  sor- 
rows, and  now  Adonijah,  his  third  son,  conspired  against  him. 
He  prepared  for  himself  chariots  and  horsemen,  and  a  great 
retinue  of  servants,  and  gathered  around  him  many  of  the 
chief  men  of  the  kingdom,  and  on  the  broad  plain  of  the  valley 
that  surrounds  this  well  he  made  a  great  feast,  and  by  the  stone 
of  Zoheleth  he  slew  sheep,  oxen  and  fat  cattle,  and  had  himself 
proclaimed  king  of  Israel.  But  while  these  partisans  were  en- 
deavoring to  consummate  their  wicked  schemes  here,  up  the  val- 
ley yonder,  by  the  Pool  of  Gihon,  David  directed  the  lawful  au- 
thorities of  the  realm  to  assemble,  and  the  crown  of  the  king- 
dom was  placed  upon  the  head  of  Solomon.  The  shouts  of  the 
loyal  multitude  came  echoing  down  this  valley,  and  the  hilar- 
ity of  this  unlawful  feast  was  soon  arrested.  "All  the  guests 
that  were  with  Adonijah  were  afraid,  and  rose  up  and  went 
every  man  his  way."  The  rebellious  son  who  was  about  to 
grasp  a  scepter,  fled  for  refuge  to  the  courts  of  the  Lord,  and 
"laid  hold  on  the  horns  of  the  altar,"  and  there  the  magnani- 
mous Solomon  extended  a  pardon  to  him.  This  fountain  is 
also  called  the  "  Well  of  Nehemiah,"  from  a  singular  tradition 
that  the  holy  fire  of  the  altar  was  preserved  in  a  cave  connected 
with  it  during  the  whole  time  of  the  captivity  in  Babylon,  and 
that  Kehemiah  recovered  it  from  this  place  on  the  re-building 
of  the  temple. 

THE   MOUNT   OF  CORRUPTION. 

Standing  where  we  now  do,  turn  eastward,  and  look  up  to 
the  tall  mountain  slope  that  rises  nearly  five  hundred  feet 
above  our  heads.  That  is  the  "Mount  of  Corruption."  This 
is  also  called  "Hill  of  Offense,"  and  sometimes  "Mount  of 
Scandal."  Strange  things  have  transpired  upon  these  hills  and 
in  these  valleys.  Within  sight  of  where  we  now  stand  has 
passed  many  of  the  scenes  that  God  has  seen  fit  to  order  the 
pen  of  inspiration  to  record  for  the  instruction  of  all  succeed- 
ng  generations.    Alas!  that  the  wise  and  good  king  Solomon 


74  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

should  have  so  dishonored  God  and  disgraced  the  closing 
scenes  of  his  brilliant  earthly  career,  by  such  shameful  apostasy 
from  his  God.  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed 
lest  he  fall.  His  idolatrous  wives  turned  him  away  from  the 
purity  of  his  holy  faith.  "  He  "built  an  high  place  for  Chernosh, 
the  abomination  of  Moab,  in  the  hill  that  is  before  Jerusalem, 
'  and  for  Moloch,  the  abomination  of  the  children  of  Amnion. 
And  likewise  did  he  for  all  his  strange  wives  which  burned  in- 
cense, and  sacrificed  unto  their  gods."  (1  Kings  ii.  7,  8.)  "We 
can  offer  no  apology  for  him,  but  the  imbecility  of  age ;  and  yet 
this  the  Lord  did  not  accept  as  an  excuse,  for  he  was  angry 
with  him,  and  visited  judgments  upon  his  house  and  kingdom. 
And  now  there  stands  the  hill,  and  God  has  set  a  name  upon 
it,  as  if  he  would  make  it  a  perpetual  memorial  of  the  offense. 
There  it  stands — an  enduring  monument — and  there  it  will 
stand,  and  the  name,  "  Mount  of  Scandal,"  is  the  writing  of 
God's  hand  upon  it,  and  that  name  will  go  down  to  the  latest 
posterity.  Travelers  from  all  lands  will  come  here,  and  as 
they  stand  before  it  and  gaze  upon  it,  they  will  be  reminded, 
on  the  one  hand,  of  man's  frailty;  on  the  other,  of  heaven's  dis- 
pleasure against  all  idolatry.  But  Solomon's  defilement  of  this 
valley  and  hill,  is  not  all  that  has  rendered  this  spot  a  place  of 
"offense." 

HERE   WAS  TOPHET. 

Under  the  apostate  kings  of  Judah  that  subsequently  reigned 
in  Jerusalem,  this  portion  of  the  valley  became  the  seat  of  the 
most  horrible  idolatrous  services.  Here,  under  the  very  brow 
of  Zion,  overlooked  by  the  magnificent  temple  of  the  living 
God,  the  most  revolting  of  all  heathen  abominations  were  prac- 
ticed. Here  "  Moloch,  horrid  king,  besmeared  with  blood  of 
human  sacrificers  and  parent's  tears,"  had  his  groves  and  altars. 
He  is  represented  as  a  large  brazen  statue,  hollow  within,  and 
arms  extended,  as  if  to  receive  and  welcome  his  victims.  Heated 
with  fire,  children  were  placed  as  offerings  upon  the  extended 
arms,  and  fell  into  the  burning  furnace  below.  During  the  time 
of  sacrifice,  drums  were  beaten  to  drown  the  cries  of  the  burn- 
ing innocents.    "Imagination,"  says  one,  "can  picture  the 


PLACES    ABOUT    JERUSALEM.  75 

monster  ready  for  a  victim,  surrounded  by  priests,  a  band  of 
drummers,  and  an  excited  multitude;  while  here  and  there  a 
Hebrew  mother  is  seen,  pale  and  haggard,  straining  her  devoted 
infant  to  her  bosom  for  the  last  time." 

"We  can  scarce  believe  that  such  horrid  and  disgusting  rites 
have  been  practiced  upon  this  place  where  we  now  stand;  but 
Moloch  was  an  ancient  idol,  and  often  the  children  of  Israel 
had  been  warned  against  honoring  his  altars.  They  had  been 
taught  his  worship  in  idolatrous  Egypt;  they  were  tempted  to 
re-establish  it  in  the  wilderness;  and  Moses  had  given  them 
solemn  warnings  against  it,  the  Lord  instructing  him  to  say: 
"  Whosoever  he  be  of  the  children  of  Israel,  or  of  the  strangers 
that  sojourn  in  Israel,  that  giveth  any  of  his  children  unto  Mo- 
loch, he  shall  surely  be  put  to  death ;  the  people  of  the  land 
shall  stone  him  with  stones."  (Lev.  xx.  2.)  The  awful  idola- 
tries of  this  valley  were  broken  up  by  good  king  Josiah,  who 
made  the  valley 

A    PLACE    OF  POLLUTION. 

He  determined  so  to  defile  the  place  that  the  Jews  disposed 
to  idolatry  would  utterly  abhor  and  forsake  it.  The  idolatrous 
priests  were  degraded,  the  altars  demolished,  the  groves  cut 
down,  and  the  place  defiled  with  dead  men's  bones.  This  por- 
tion of  the  valley  became  a  receptacle  of  filth  and  offal  of  all 
kinds  from  the  city.  Here  corruption  and  the  worm  held  ban- 
quet, and  fires  are  said  to  have  been  kept  continually  burning 
to  consume  the  piles  of  filth  that  were  deposited  here.  From 
this  it  was  that  the  Greek  Gehenna,  from  Ge  Hinnom,  became 
to  the  Jews  a  forcible  illustration  of  the  displeasure  of  God 
against  transgressors,  while  the  continual  riot  of  the  worm  of 
corruption  and  ever  burning  fires  furnished  the  Savior  with 
his  impressive  imagery  of  future  retribution,  in  which  he  has 
taught  us  it  is  better  to  cut  off  an  offending  hand  or  foot,  and 
enter  life  maimed,  than  to  have  the  perfect  body  to  be  cast  into 
hell  (Gehenna),  "where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  their  fire  is 
not  quenched."  Thus  Gehenna  and  Tophet,  ordained  of  old, 
are  now  our  instructors;  their  very  names  are  among  the 
warnings  God  has  written  in  the  deep,  dark  depths  of  these 


76  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

gloomy  valleys  to  admonish  us  of  his  displeasure  against  trans 
gressors.    Connected  with  this  valley  is  another  remarkable 

FULFILLMENT    OF  PROPHECY. 

Isaiah  says  of  this  place,  in  allusion  to  its  character:  "To- 
phet  was  ordained  of  old ;  *  *  *  he  hath  made  it  deep  and 
large;  the  pile  thereof  is  fire  and  much  wood;  the  breath  of  the 
Lord,  like  a  stream  of  brimstone,  doth  kindle  it."  (xxiii.  35.) 
Jeremiah  looks  into  the  future  and  sees  the  fearful  carnage, 
and  the  multitudes  of  slain  that  shall  here  be  piled  heaps  upon 
heaps.  The  Lord  directed  him  to  take  a  potter's  bottle,  and 
come  and  stand  in  this  very  place,  in  company  with  some  of  the 
old  priests,  and  in  the  presence  of  these  witnesses  to  dash 
the  bottle  in  pieces  and  say :  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
even  so  will  I  break  this  people,  and  this  city  (Jerusalem)  as 
one  breaketh  a  potter's  vessel  that  cannot  be  made  whole  again, 
and  they  shall  bury  them  in  Toiphet  till  there  be  no  place  to  bury." 
(xix.  11.) 

Though  this  was  written  six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  and 
might  have  applied  to  the  conquest  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  how 
exact  was  its  fulfillment  in  the  siege  under  Titus,  according  to 
the  testimony  of  Josephus  himself!  The  city  then  extended 
nearly  down  to  this  place,  and  a  portion  of  this  valley  was  not 
only  a  great  place  of  sepulture,  but  it  was  in  this  corner  of  the 
city  that  the  last  struggle  between  the  Jews  and  the  Romans 
took  place;  and  this  retired  portion  of  the  valley  would 
most  likely  be  the  place  to  which  the  dead,  slain  in  battle 
and  dying  of  famine,  would  be  conveyed.  And  through  one 
gate  alone,  we  are  informed,  there  was  carried  out  between  the 
15th  of  the  month  Nisan  and  the  1st  of  Tamuz,  two  months  and 
a  half,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
eighty  dead  bodies.  After  this  some  of  the  citizens  went  over 
to  Titus,  and  informed  him  that  up  to  the  time  of  their  leaving 
"no  fewer  than  six  hundred  thousand  dead  had  been  thrown 
out  at  the  gates.  (Wars  v.,  xiii.  7.)  Tophet  and  Hinnom,  what 
scenes  ye  have  witnessed!  Can  all  the  flowing  waters  of  the 
Kidron  and  the  fountains  of  thy  hill-sides  ever  wash  away  thy 
defilements?   Well  did  Jeremiah  say  this  place  should  no  more 


FOUNTAINS    OF    THE  VALLEY. 


77 


be  called  Tophet,  nor  the  Valley  of  the  Son  of  Hinnom,  but  the 
Valley  of  Slaughter.  TThen  Titus  came  into  the  conquered 
city,  as  Josephus  informs  us,  and  saw  these  valleys  below  Jeru- 
salem heaped  full  of  dead  bodies,  he  was  so  horrified  at  the 
sight  that  he  raised  his  hands  and  called  heaven  to  witness 
that  he  was  not  responsible  for  this  terrific  destruction  of  hu- 
man life ! 

But  we  are  lingering  here  too  long.  Let  us  leave  Tophet 
and  Gehenna,  and  turn  to  scenes  that  will  inspire  more  cheer- 
ful associations.  Turning  back  a  little,  just  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Tyropean  Valley,  between  Zion  and  Ophel,  ]^o.  10,  we 
stand  by 

THE    POOL    OF    SILO  AM. 

This  is  a  place  of  so  much  interest  we  must  tarry  here  a  lit- 
tle, aud  take  a  thorough  look  at  it.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
noted  fountains  about  Jerusalem.  In  this  vicinity,  just  below 
this  Pool,  Solomon,  and  probably  subsequent  kings  of  Judah, 
had  some  most  beautiful  gardens;  and  Xehemiah  says:  (iii.  15.) 
•;  Shallum  built  the  wall  of  the  Pool  of  Siloah  by  the  king's 
garden."  Isaiah  speaks  of  the  waters  of  Siloah  that  flow  soft- 
ly ;  and  who  has  not  read  with  deep  interest  the  strange  cure 
of  the  blind  man.  when  the  Savior,  having  anointed  his  eyes 
with  the  mixture  of  dust  and  spittle,  said :  "  Go  wash  in  the 
Pool  of  Siloam,''  and  he  went  and  washed,  "and  came  seeing.'"' 
And  who  can  write  about  this  place  without  being  reminded 
of  the  words  of  the  great  poet  who  sings  of  these  renowned  lo- 
calities : 

'•If  Zion's  hill 
Delights  thee  more,  and  Siloa*s  brook,  that  flowed 
Fast  by  the  oracles  of  God,  I  thence 
Invoke  their  aid  to-  my  adventurous  son/." 

To  get  a  clear  understanding  of  these  remarkable  waters, 
and  about  which,  notwithstanding  all  the  investigations  of 
modern  travelers,  there  is  much  of  mystery,  we  must  take  you 
to  another  locality.  Standing  at  Xo.  10,  in  the  mouth  of  the 
Tyropean,  where  the  waters  of  Siloam  flow  out  at  the  base  of 
Ophel,  follow  around  the  brow  of  the  hill  in  the  valley  of  the 


78 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Kidron  to  No.  11.  Here  is  a  singular  reservoir  of  water,  now 
called 

THE   FOUNTAIN    OF    THE  VIRGIN. 

This  fountain  has  several  different  names.  It  is  sometimes 
called  the  Dragon's  Fount — Fount  of  the  Sun — Bath  of  Samuel — 
Bethesda — Fount  of  Siloam.  I  find  much  confusion  in  different 
authors  in  the  description  of  these  two  fountains,  and  the  name 
Pool  and  Fountain  of  Siloam  used  interchangeably  and  applied 
to  both,  and  sometimes  so  applied  as  to  make  it  impossible  to 
tell  which  one  is  referred  to.  The  lower  one,  No.  10,  is  the 
Pool  of  Siloam;  the  upper  one,  No.  11,  may  properly  enough 
be  called  the  Fountain  of  Siloam;  for  it,  as  we  shall  soon  see, 
supplies  the  waters  of  the  pool,  but  in  the  following  description 
we  shall  call  it  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  the  familiar  name  by 
which  it  is  now  known  at  Jerusalem.  To  Drs.  Barclay  and 
Robinson  I  am  indebted  for  the  most  accurate  description  of 
these  waters  I  have  been  able  to  find,  and  I  felt  that  it  was  a 
great  piece  of  good  fortune  to  have  Dr.  Barclay  with  me  in  my 
visit  to  the  place. 

Returning  now  to  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  No.  10,  let  us  first  take 
a  look  at  that.  The  water  here  is  received  into  an  oblong  res- 
ervoir, fifty-three  feet  in  length,  eighteen  feet  wide  and  nineteen 
feet  deep.  It  does  not  fill  up,  but  when  the  water,  as  it  flows 
in,  has  attained  the  depth  of  two  or  three  feet,  it  passes  off 
through  an  outlet  for  a  short  distance  under  ground,  and  then 
falls  into  some  reserviors,  or  troughs,  from  which  it  goes  dash- 
ing off*  in  little  bubbling  rills  on  its  way  to  water  the  gardens 
below.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  pool  is  an  old  arched  stair- 
way, now  tumbling  into  ruins,  by  which  a  descent  can  be  made 
to  the  mouth  of  the  subterranean  passage  through  which  the 
water  enters.  The  pool  is  still  a  great  place  of  public  resort, 
and  here  the  people  congregate  to  bathe,  wash  clothes,  and 
water  their  animals.  Six  old  pillars  of  Jerusalem  marble  are 
still  seen  imbedded  in  a  portion  of  the  eastern  wall  of  the  pool, 
which,  in  connection  with  others  that  have  now  disappeared, 
probably  once  supported  a  roof  over  the  waters.. 

Now  comes  the  most .  singular  feature  of  the  pool.    Its  sup- 


THE    POOL    OF  SILOAM. 


7:> 


ply  of  water  is  all  received  from  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin, 
No.  11.  Siloam  means,  sent,  and  the  waters  are  sent  to  it  from 
the  fountain  above.  Dr.  Robinsou  having  found  the  belief 
current  at  Jerusalem  that  a  subterranean  passage  existed  be- 
tween these  two  fountains,  and  finding  some  allusions  to  it  iu 
early  writings,  determined,  with  his  usual  energy  and  persever- 
ance, to  settle  the  question.  Repairing  in  company  with  his 
companions  to  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  they  divested  themselves  of 
shoes,  stockings,  and  unnecessary  garments,  and  entered  the 
subterranean  passage  through  which  the  water  flows.  It  was 
a  dirty,  gloomy,  and  unexplored  road.  They  found  the  pas- 
sage cut  wholly  through  the  solid  rock,  two  feet  wide,  and 
somewhat  winding  in  its  course.  For  the  first  hundred  feet  it 
was  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high ;  another  hundred  feet  or 
more,  from  six  to  ten  feet;  afterwards,  not  more  than  two  to 
three  feet,  thus  gradually  becoming  lower  and  lower.  Having 
lights  and  a  tape  line,  they  measured  as  they  went,  and  after 
having  penetrated  eight  hundred  feet,  the  ceiling  of  the  pas- 
sage was  so  low  they  could  proceed  no  further  without  crawl- 
ing on  all  fours.  This  being  a  contingency  they  had  not  calcu- 
lated for,  they  traced  on  the  roof,  with  the  smoke  of  their 
candles,  the  initials  of  their  names,  and  the  figures  800,  to  de- 
note the  distance,  and  made  a  retreat  to  the  pool,  wet  and  be- 
dabbled with  mud,  determined  yet  to  complete  the  exploration. 
NTow  let  us  go  up  again  to  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin. 

A  portion  of  our  road  leads  along  an  old  embankment  or 
causeway,  and  just  by  our  path  you  may  notice  an  old  mulber- 
ry tree.  It  bears  the  marks  of  antiquity,  is  rotten  at  the  base, 
crooked  nearly  double,  and  would  tumble  over  but  for  a  column 
of  stone  some  careful  persons  have  piled  beneath  to  support  it. 
That  is.  the  "  Tree  of  Isaiah"  and  tradition  says,  marks  the  ex- 
act spot  where  Manassah  caused  the  prophet  to  be  sawn 
asunder. 

Arriving  at  the  fountain,  we  find  it  a  large,  deep,  artificial 
cavity  in  the  hill- side,  excavated  entirely  in  the  solid  rock.  To 
enter  it,  you  descend  first  a  broad  stone  stairway  of  sixteen 
steps;  here  you  find  a  level  stone  space  or  platform  twelve  feet 
broad;  then  you  descend  again  ten  steps  more  before  reaching 


60 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


the  water.  At  the  water  you  are  about  twenty-five  feet  below 
the  entrance  in  the  hill-side,  and  some  ten  to  fifteen  feet  below 
the  bottom  of  the  valley.  A  good  idea  of  this  descent  to  these 
subterranean  waters  may  be  obtained  from  the  accompanying 
cut.  Arriving  at  the  water  you  find  it  contained  in  a  fountain 
or  basin  about  fifteen  feet  long,  five  to  six  feet  broad,  and  six 
or  eight  feet  high.  The  usual  depth  of  water  is  about  three 
feet,  the  bottom  of  the  basin  being  covered  with  pebbles  and 
an  accumulation  of  dirt  and  rubbish.  The  water  flows  off"  in  a 
low  passage  leading  towards  the  Pool  of  Siloam.  It  was  from 
this  point  Drs.  Robinson  and  Smith  completed  their  survey  of 
this  subterranean  passage.  Prepared,  not  only  for  wading,  but 
for  crawling,  they  forced  their  way  into  the  narrow  passage. 
They  found  it  much  smaller  than  at  the  other  end;  most  of  the 
way  they  had  to  go  upon  their  hands  and  knees,  and  in  some 
places,  where  the  passage  was  more  filled  up  than  at  others, 
they  had  to  lie  at  full  length,  and  drag  and  push  themselves 
along  with  knees  and  elbows.  It  was  a  wonder  to  them  how 
this  small  passage  could  ever  have  been  cut  through  the  solid 
rock.  It  could  only  be  worked  at  by  one  man  at  a  time,  and 
by  him  only  as  he  lay  along  nearly  at  full  length.  It  must 
have  been  a  work  of  years.  They  found  also  many  turns  and 
zigzags  in  the  direction  of  the  passage,  thus  greatly  increasing 
its  length.  At  last,  after  having  worked  their  way  in  this  labo- 
rious manner  nine  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  to  their  great  satisfac- 
tion they  came  upon  their, original  smoke  mark  of  800  feet,  the 
termination  of  their  exploration  from  the  opposite  direction. 
Thus  by  this  laborious  process  they  settled  the  question  that 
the  waters  of  Siloam  were  supplied  from  the  Fountain  of  the 
Virgin  by  a  subterranean  passage  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  length,  chiseled  by  the  hand  of  man  through  the  solid  rock 
of  Ophel! 

Dr.  Barclay  informed  us  that  he  attempted  an  exploration 
of  the  same  passage.  He  crawled  in  several  hundred  feet, 
when  he  found  the  passage  so  choked  up  with  rubbish  he  could 
scarcely  keep  his  mouth  above  water,  even  when  his  head  was 
pressed  against  the  upper  part  of  the  passage,  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  retreat.    He,  however,  made  a  discovery,  forty-nine 


FOUNTAIN    OF    THE    TIRbiN.  83 
• 

feet  from  the  entrance,  of  a  collateral  passage,  which  was  found 
to  lead  across  Ophel  towards  Mount  Zion,  and  which  he  ex- 
plored to  a  point  near  the  present  Mugrabin  G-ate,  a  small  gate 
between  Mount  Zion  Gate  and  the  Temple  area,  without  find- 
ing its  termination. 

But  while  we  have  here  the  source  of  the  waters  of  the  Pool 
of  Siloam,  how  is  this  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  supplied?  This 
is  a  mystery  that  remains  to  be  yet  explained.  One  of  the  pe- 
culiarities of  the  water  is  their  periodical  flow.  The  main  por- 
tion of  the  water  enters  from  beneath  the  north  end  of  the 
lowest  step,  but  some  of  it  comes  bubbling  up  with  considera- 
ble force  about  midway  of  the  pool  on  the  south  side.  This 
stream  ebbs  and  flows  quite  irregularly,  but  generally  three  or 
four  times  a  day  in  autumn,  and  oftener  in  spring.  It  runs 
from  two  to  four  hours  in  the  twenty-four,  and  appears  perfect- 
ly quiescent  during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  "When  it  com- 
mences flowing  it  gushes  out  suddenly  with  considerable  force, 
and  runs  from  fifteen  minutes  to  half  an  hour,  and  then  ceases 
for  several  hours. 

■ 

"What  is  the  reason  of  this  periodical  ebb  and  flow  of  tlie 
waters?  Ask  that  woman  who  has  just  filled  her  water-pot  at 
the  generous  fountain.  She  will  tell  you  that  in  some  deep, 
under-ground  channel  through  which  this  water  comes,  there 
lives  a  monstrous  dragon.  When  he  lies  down  he  completely 
dams  up  the  water  and  prevents  its  flow  ;  when  he  gets  up  to 
seek  his  food,  the  water  again  has  a  chance*to  flow  until  he  re- 
sumes his  rest ;  and  thus  it  is  only  occasionally  the  waters  can 
run.  Such  is  the  popular  superstition  among  the  credulous 
natives  with  regard  to  this  singular  fountain.  But  however 
satisfactory  this  explanation  may  be  to  ignorant  Arabs  and 
Moslems,  it  does  not  satisfy  the  scientific  mind. 

That  these  waters  are  connected  with  some  subterranean  res- 
ervoir in  the  hills  above,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  That  this  res- 
ervoir empties  itself  periodically,  by  means  of  a  syphon  pas- 
sage, must  also  be  admitted.  But  whether  that  reservoir  and 
syphon  aqueduct  be  the  work  of  nature,  or  fashioned  by  the 
hand  of  art,  remains  to  be  determined.  It  has  long  been  the 
opinion  of  many  intelligent  persons  that  this  singular  flow  of 


84  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

the  waters  of  Siloam  is  in  some  way  connected  with  the  artifi  • 
cial,  subterranean  water  passages  of  the  city,  either  of  Mount 
Zion,  or  the  Temple  area,  or  both.  So  much  was  Dr.  Barclay 
impressed  with  this  idea,  that  on  one  occasion  he  made  a  bar- 
gain with  the  sheik  of  the  adjoining  village,  who  claims  to  ex- 
ercise protection  over  the  fountain,  for  the  privilege  of  remov- 
ing a  few  of  the  lower  steps,  beneath  which  the  most  of  the 
waters  enter,  to  see  if  he  could  discover  any  artificial,  subterra- 
nean passage.  Knowing  the  prejudice  and  hostility  of  the  na- 
tives, he  repaired  to  the  place,  with  the  necessary  help  and  imple- 
ments of  labor,  about  10  o'clock  at  night,  determined  to  use  the 
quiet  hours"  of  slumber  to  the  best  advantage.  What  was  his 
surprise  to  meet  the  wily  old  sheik,  who,  true  to  the  treacher- 
ous instincts  and  avarice  of  his  race,  gravely  informed  him  that 
the  bargain  for  one  hundred  piasters,  then  about  five  dollars, 
was  only  a  mere  jest  on  his  part;  that  the  " Angleseys "  (En- 
glish) had  repeatedly  offered  him  five  hundred  piasters  for  the 
same  privilege,  which  he  had  always  indignantly  refused ;  but  as 
he  was  "  Hakim  American  "  he  would  only  charge  him  four  hun- 
dred piasters!  The  Doctor's  zeal  was  extinguished;  the  ex- 
ploration was  abandoned ;  the  sheik,  in  attempting  to  grasp  too 
much,  lost  all,  and  the  hidden  sources  of  Siloah's  waters  still 
remain  a  profound  mystery. 

This  Fountain  of  Siloam  is  still  a  great  place  of  resort  for  the 
surrounding  inhabitants,  and  especially  of  the  neighboring  vil- 
lage of  Siloam.  The  steps  are  deeply  and  smoothly  worn  by 
the  incessant  passing  up  and  down.  It  is  a  great  wash-tub, 
where  women  daily  resort  to  renovate  their  bundles  of  soiled 
and  dirty  garments ;  it  is  a  great  public  bath,  where  old  and 
young  of  both  sexes  perform  their  ablutions ;  it  is  believed  by 
the  natives  to  possess  healing  qualities,  and  to.  be  especially 
beneficial  in  ophthalmic  affections,  so  that  diseased  bodies  and 
sore  eyes  impart  their  foul  contaminations  to  the  water,  and 
render  it  unfit  for  the  use  of  the  more  cleanly  Frank. 

It  is  said  by  some  to  get  the  name  "  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  " 
from  the  fact  that  the  mother  of  our  Lord  used  to  resort  here 
with  others  to  wash  her  wearing  apparel;  others  say  that  these 
waters  were  a  grand  test  for  women  accused  of  incontinence. 


WATERS    OF  SILOAH. 


85 


If  innocent,  they  drank  it  without  injury;  if  guilty,  they  imme- 
diately fell  down  dead!  When  the  Virgin  Mary  was  accused, 
she  submitted  to  the  ordeal,  and  thus  established  her  innocence. 

Was  it  not  this  or  some  similar  pool  known  in  the  days  of 
our  Savior  as  Bethesda,  in  which  the  periodical  flow  of  the 
waters  was  attributed  to  an  angel,  and'  which  waters  were  be- 
lieved to  possess  healing  powers  ?  At  any  rate,  it  was  with  pe- 
culiar interest  I  clambered  down  the  old  moss-grown  steps,  trod, 
perhaps,  by  the  feet  of  kings  and  patriarchs,  listened  to  the 
deep  gurgling  Waters,  and  recalled  the  interesting  incidents 
connected  with  the  place.  Siloam  is  a  place  that  awakens 
many  a  serious,  yet  interesting  and  profitable  reflection.  True, 
the  place  has  now  been  stripped  of  its  poetic  beauties,  and  has 
lost  the  charm  of  inspiration  it  once  possessed.  This  hill,  once 
dense  with  population,  is  now  a  barren  waste;  the  beautiful 
gardens,  that  were  once  the  resort  and  pride  of  kings,  have 
given  place  to  a  few  miserable  patches  of  cultivated  soil.  What 
might,  under  the  hand  of  cultivation,  be  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  picturesque  spots  in  the  world,  is  now  a  scene  of  deso- 
lation ;  and  blindness,  such  as  Siloam's  waters  can  never  wash 
away,  rests  upon  the  inhabitants. 

These  waters  have  been  made  a  beautiful  type  of  more  glori- 
ous things.  Having  their  source,  as  many  believe,  in  the  secret 
subterranean  reservoirs  of  the  Mount  of  God,  here  they  come 
gushing  forth;  on  through  Kidron  eastward  they  flow,  gradual- 
ly increasing  in  size  and  force,  till  they  find  a  home  and  are 
shallowed  up  in  the  bitter  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Here,  it  is 
thought,  Ezekiel  (xlvii.  1,  12)  got  his  striking  illustration  of 
the  waters  of  life,  the  mystical  river  of  Goo!,  which,  small  in  its 
beginnings,  he  saw  flow  from  under  the  altar  of  God.  It  went 
forth  eastward  towards  the  desert  country;  at  first  its  depth 
was  to  the  ankles,  then  to  the  knees,  then  to  the  loins,  and  then 
"it  was  a  river  to  swim  in  that  could  not  be  passed  over." 
Wherever  the  river  went,  every  thing  lived,  and  when  it  came 
into  the  sea  the  waters  were  healed.  What  is  this  but  the  glori- 
ous river  of  life — the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God— bursting 
forth  in  the  glorious  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  issuing  from  Je- 
rusalem, the  sanctuary,  flowing  through  the  desert  portions  of 
6 


86 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


the  earth,  scattering  life  and  blessings,  and  sweetening  the  bit- 
ter waters  of  sin  and  death?  I  wonder  if  David-did  not  stand 
by  this  pool,  or  bathe  in  these  waters,  and  think  of  their  hid- 
den origin  beneath  the  sanctuary,  when  he  says,  "All  my  springs 
are  in  Thee."  Surely,  from  Zion  has  gone  forth  the  law,  and  the 
word  of  God  from  J erulalem. 

HIGHT    OP    THE  MOUNTAINS. 

The  hight  of  some  of  the  elevations  about  the  city  from  En- 
Eogel,  or  the  Well  of  Joab,  at  the  junction  of  Jehoshaphat 
and  Hinnom,  is  given  by  Dr.  Barclay: 


Mount  Ophel  above  En-Kogel   377  feet.  ■ 

Mount  of  Corruption,  En-Eogel  !   422  " 

Top  of  the  city  wall  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  temple  area  425  " 

Hill  of  Evil  Council   506  " 

Zion,  average  hight   521  " 

Bezetha   550  « 

Northwest  corner  of  the  city   571  " 

Mount  Olivet   678  " 


As  the  Pool  of  Siloam  is  one  hundred  and  seventeen  feet 
higher  than  En-Rogel,  by  deducting  that  from  the  above  hights 
it  will  give  their  elevation  above  this  pool.  Mount  Zion  is  four 
hundred  and  four  feet  above  Siloam.  As  the  sides  of  these  el- 
evations are  often  rocky  and  precipitous,  it  gives  them  a  much 
more  imposing  appearance  than  they  would  otherwise  have,  and 
as  one  looks  upon  them  he  is  impressed  with  the  striking  com- 
parison of  David,  "  As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusa- 
lem, so  the  Lord  is  round  about  his  people." 

We  shall  now  return  to  the  city  for  our  noonday  refresh- 
ments ;  at  2  o'clock  we  will  meet  again  at  this  fountain,  and 
continue  our  walk  up  the  Yalley  of  Jehoshaphat,  among  the 
tombs  and  into  the  celebrated  excavations  beneath  the  city. 


at 


i 


VALLEY    OF  JEHOSHAPHAT. 


39 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Rambles  about  Jerusalem  Continued  —  Ancient  Tombs  — 
Grottoes  and  Wonderful  Excavations. 

At  Siloam  we  are  in  the  renowned  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat, 
meaning  "  Jehovah  Judgeth."  The  origin  of  this  name  is  found 
in  a  passage  of  the  prophet  Joel,  in  which  he  speaks  of  the 
"  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat,"  where  God  will  judge  the  oppress- 
ors of  his  people.  It  is  singular  that  this  valley,  in  three  of  the 
great  religious  systems  of  the  world,  should  be  designated  as 
the  scene  of  the  last  great  jugdment.  The  Jew  here  looks  for 
the  appearance  of  Messiah  and  destruction  upon  his  enemies. 
On  yonder  terrace  wall  of  Mount  Moriah  that  overhangs  this 
valley,  the  Mohammedan  will  tell  you  his  Prophet  will  sit  to 
judge  the  world;  while  from  yonder  summit  of  Olivet  the  Sa- 
vior ascended  to  heaven,  and  many  believe  that  on  this  spot  he 
will  descend,  and  that  before  him  the  nations  shall  be  gathered. 
Well  is  this  wild  ravine  called  the  "Valley  of  Decision."  Jews, 
Mohammedans  and  Christians  all  agree  in  the  propriety  of  the 
present  name.  Jerusalem,  what  a  place  thou  hast  in  the  reli- 
gious faith  and  affections  of  the  world! 

The  head  of  the  valley  is  on  the  north  side  of  Jerusalem,  and 
at  first  very  shallow.  As  you  descend  the  valley  to  the  south- 
ward, and  come  opposite  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  the  depth  is  about 
one  hundred  feet,  and  the  breadth  about  four  hundred  feet. 
Here,  a  little  to  the  northward  as  you  cross  the  valley,  nestling 
under  the  shadow  of  the  steep  declivities  of  Olivet,  is  one  of  the 
sacred  spots  embalmed  in  the  memory  of  every  Christian,  and 
to  which  we  are  yet  to  pay  a  formal  visit — Gethsemane.  As 
you  continue  down  the  valley  along  the  Temple  area  it  rapidly 
deepens,  and  the  hills  rise  in  steep  precipices  on  both  sides. 


00 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Passing  the  Fountain  of  Siloam,  the  valley  again  widens,  the 
pleasant  gardens  and  cultivated  terraces  make  their  appearance ; 
and  near  by,  in  strange  contrast,  "Tophet  and  black  Gehenna, 
called  the  type  of  hell."  The  length  of  the  valley  from  its 
head  to  En-Hogel,  or  its  junction  with  Hinnom,  is  two  and 
three-fourths  miles.  It  then  cuts  its  way  through  the  wild, 
hilly  country  of  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  past  the  convent  of 
St.  Saba,  where  it  is  called  "The  Monk's  Valley;"  below  the 
convent  it  takes  the  name  of  the  "  Valley  of  Fire,"  until  it  ter- 
minates at  the  Dead  Sea,  fourteen  miles  from  Jerusalem.  Such 
is  the  valley  that  now  has  an  undying  name  in  the  records  of 
our  holy  religion.  "A  valley,"  says  one,  "which  has  witnessed 
on  its  banks  the  greatest  scene  in  the  evangelical  drama — the 
tears,  the  agonies,  and  the  death  of  the  Savior!  A  valley 
through  which  the  prophets  have  passed,  in  their  turns,  utter- 
ing a  cry  of  wo  and  terror,  which  seems  still  to  echo ! "  and  we 
may  say,  a  valley  from  the  banks  of  which  the  Savior  ascended 
to  be  again  with  his  Father,  and  a  valley  which,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  many,  "is  destined  to  hear  the  stupendous  noise  of  the 
torrent  of  souls  rolling  before  God,  and  coming  to  their  fatal 
judgment."    Through  this  valley  flows 

THE   WATERS   OF    THE  KIDRON. 

Kidron,  Kedron,  or  Cedron,  as  some  call  it,  is  the  Hebrew 
name  of  the  place.  When  David  fled  from  the  city  during  the 
rebellion  of  his  son  Absalom,  he  is  said  to  have  "passed  over 
the  brook  Kidron,  toward  the  way  of  the  wilderness."  After 
this  the  place  is  frequently  referred  to  in  the  history  of  the 
Holy  City.  The  bed  of  the  Kidron  opposite  Jerusalem  is  now 
dry;  no  water  flows  above  the  surface  until  you  get  far  down 
the  valley  below  the  city.  But  this  is  undoubtedly  owing  to 
the  great  diminution  of  water  that  has  taken  place  from  natu- 
ral causes  that  have  long  been  operating  in  this  land.  That 
there  was  formerly  a  running  brook  here,  is  evident  from  the 
various  scripture  allusions  to  the  place.  Though  the  channel 
of  the  stream  is  now  dry,  the  "Brook  Kidron"  has  a  place  in 
Christian  history  and  Christian  poetry,  from  which  it  will  never 
perish.    It  was  crossed  and  re-crossed  by  the  Savior,  and  is  one 


JEHOSHAPHAT    A    BUEIAL    PLACE.  91 

of  the  landmarks  by  which  we  know  the  spot  of  his  agony  on 
the  fearful  night  of  his  betrayal.  Gethsemane  and  Kidron  are 
inseparably  blended  in  the  closing  scenes  of  his  eventful  life. 

Jehoshaphat,  like  Hinnom,  is  a  great  sepulchral  valley.  Just 
under  the  east  wall  of  the  city  the  Mohammedans  have  a  cem- 
etery, and  a  large  extent  of  ground  is  thickly  covered  with 
their  singular  looking  tombs.  Here,  under  the  shadow  of  the 
great  Mosque  of  Omar,  the  Mussulman  covets  a  tomb.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  valley  is  the  great  silent  city  of  the  Jewish 
dead.  Here,  since  the  days  of  David  and  Solomon,  generation 
after  generation  have  been  gathered  unto  their  fathers.  For 
thousands  of  years  bones  have  been  piled  upon  bones,  and  the 
dust  of  the  children  has  been  mingled  with  the  ashes  of  their 
forefathers.  The  whole  of  the  east  bank,  all  along  up  the  side 
of  Olivet,  is  covered  with  the  tombs  of  the  countless  descend- 
ants of  Abraham.  It  is  still  said  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
privileges  craved  by  the  dying  Jew,  to  have  his  bones  laid  in 
the  sepulchral  home  of  his  fathers  in  the  Valley  of  Jehosha- 
phat. Here  they  expect  their  coming  Messiah  to  stand  in  the 
resurrection.  Those  buried  in  this  valley,  they  say,  will  rise  at 
once  from  their  tombs,  while  those  who  have  been  buried  in 
other  lands  will  have  a  long  and  weary  under-ground  pilgrim- 
age to  make  to  reach  this  place. 

Just  opposite  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  upon  the  steep  de- 
clivity of  the  eastern  bank,  N"o.  12,  is  the  modern  village  of  Si- 
loam,  or  Silwan.  It  is  a  wretched  looking  place  of  a  few  scores 
of  dwellings,  formed  by  wresting  the  rock-hewn  sepulchres  of 
the  hill- side  from  the  possession  of  the  dead,  building  up  stone 
fronts,  and  turning  them  into  gloomy,  dirty  looking  abodes  for 
the  living.  The  inhabitants  are  as  wretched  and  miserable  as 
their  dwellings,  and  noted  for  their  rude  and  lawless  conduct. 
There  is  nothing  about  the  place  or  its  surroundings  to  awaken 
the  poetic  associations  the  name  is  calculated  to  suggest. 

Some  of  the  ancient  tombs  along  this  valley  are  worthy  of 
special  notice : 

"  Strong  vaulted  cells,  where  martyred  seers  of  old 
Far  in  the  rocky  walls  of  Zion  sleep." 


92 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


The  soil  on  these  hill-sides  is  shallow  and  easily  washed 
away ;  the  rock  is  soft  and  easily  cut,  and  both  these  circum- 
stances conspired  to  induce  the  ancients  to  cut  their  tombs  deep 
into  the  solid  beds  of  the  mountains.  A  few  of  the  monu- 
mental tombs  are  worthy  of  special  note. 

The  Tomb  of  St.  James  is  a  large  excavated  chamber  :.n  the 
side  of  the  cliff,  with  a  porch  in  front,  supported  by  two  col- 
umns. The  doorway  is  handsomely  carved.  The  porch  is 
eighteen  feet  wide  and  nine  deep,  from  which  a  plain  door 
opens  into  a  sepulchral  chamber  seventeen  feet  by  fourteen. 
From  this  are  openings  into  three  smaller  places,  with  recesses 
for  bodies. 

The  Tomb  of  Zechariah  is  a  monolithic  monument — an  en- 
tire mass  of  the  native  rock  separated  from  the  hill-side  by 
cutting  a  broad  passage  around  three  sides  of  it.  It  is  cubic  in 
shape,  with  a  pyramidal  top,  each  side  seventeen  feet.  It  is  or- 
namented with  columns,  pilasters,  cornice,  etc.,  and  said  to  have 
been  constructed  in  honor  of  Zechariah,  who  was  stoned  in  the 
court  of  the  temple  in  the  reign  of  Joash.  "Your  fathers 
killed  the  prophets,  and  ye  build  their  sepulchres."  No  entrance 
to  this  singular  monument  has  ever  been  found,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed to  be  solid.  Many  Hebrew  names  are  engraven  upon 
the  sides,  and  dirt  and  rubbish  have  accumulated  about  it  till 
nearly  one-fourth  of  it  is  buried  from  view. 

The  Tomb  of  Jehoshaphat  is  near  by.  The  stone  doorway 
is  richly  ornamented  with  sculptured  foliage,  although  it  is  now 
choked  up  nearly  to  the  top  with  dirt  and  stones.  For  whom 
this  tomb  was  built  is  a  matter  of  much  uncertainty.  Jehosha- 
phat, the  Bible  informs  us,  "was  buried  with  his  fathers  in  the 
city  of  David ; "  if  so,  he  was  not  buried  here.  Some  say  it  is 
the  burial  place  of  Simon  the  Just,  and  others  assign  it  to  Jo- 
seph, the  husband  of  Mary.  In  1842,  it  is  said  an  attempt  to 
explore  this  tomb  by  a  visitor  from  Koine  resulted  in  the  dis- 
covery, in  the  interior,  of  a  Hebrew  manuscript  of  the  Penta- 
teuch. Dr.  Barclay  informed  us  that  he  had  long  been  anxious 
to  make  an  exploration  of  the  tomb,  but  the  jealousy  and  hos- 
tility of  the  Jews  prevented  it.  At  last,  taking  advantage  of 
the  cover  of  night,  and  plying  pick  and  shovel  with  all  possible 


ANCIENT  TOMBS. 


93 


secrecy  and  diligence,  he  reached  the  interior,  but  instead  of 
being  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  ancient  manuscripts  and 
Jewish  antiquities,  he  found  only  a  room  full  of  rotten  leather 
parings,  and  heaps  of  unsightly  skeletons.  Near  this  may  be 
seen  another  notable  monument — 

The  Tomb  or  Pillar  of  Absalom.  O,  Absalom !  The  mem- 
ory of  that  bad  boy  loses  none  of  its  offensive  odor  as  it  comes 
down  through  the  long  succession  of  generations.  With  what 
unfeigned  anguish  a  heart-broken  father  hung  over  his  man- 
gled body.  "  0,  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son,  would  God  I  had 
died  for  thee."  But  Absalom  was  not  buried  here.  He  was 
slain  in  the  battle  his  own  rebellion  had  provoked  in  the  wood 
of  Ephraim ;  "  and  they  took  him  and  cast  him  into  a  great 
pit  in  the  wood,  and  laid  a  very  great  heap  of  stones  upon  him." 
(2  Sam.  xviii.  17.)  But  the  same  narrative  informs  us:  " Ab- 
salom in  his  life  time  had  reared  up  for  himself  a  pillar,  which 
is  in  the  king's  dale,  for  he  said,  I  have  no  son  to  keep  my 
name  in  remembrance;  and  he  called  the  pillar  after  his  own 
name." 

The  lower  part  of  this  pillar,  like  the  tomb  of  Zechariah,  is  a 
monolith,  chiseled  from  the  solid  rock  of  the  hill-side.  This 
mass  of  stone  is  twenty-two  feet  square,  ornamented  with  col- 
umns and  pilasters,  and  over  them  an  Egyptian  cornice. 
Above  this  is  a  pile  of  masonry,  consisting  of  layers  of  large 
stones,  ornamented  with  projecting  cable  moldings,  the  whole 
surmounted  by  a  pyramidal  top,  crowned  by  a  tuft  of  palm 
leaves.  Its  hight  is  about  fifty  feet.  A  great  heap  of  rubbish 
has  accumulated  about  the  base,  to  which  additions  are  contin- 
ually made  from  the  contempt  in  which  the  memory  of  Absa- 
lom is  held.  Moslems,  Jews  and  Christians,  as  they  pass  this 
monument,  manifest  their  indignation  against  the  rebellious 
son  by  casting  a  stone  at  the  monument,  or  spitting  spitefully 
towards  it.  I  write  this  for  the  boys.  If  you  would  have  the 
respect  of  the  good  while  living,  and  a  revered  monument  to 
mark  your  resting  place  when  dead,  remember  the  command- 
ment, and  honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother.  From  these  sin- 
gular and  costly  tombs,  we  will  now  climb  up  the  side  of  Oli- 
vet to  No.  13,  the  Tombs  of  the  Prophets. 


94 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


The  tombs  we  have  beeu  contemplating  are  monumental 
piles  above  ground;  these  are  dark,  sepulchral  regions — deep, 
damp  chambers  in  the  heart  of  Olivet.  ISTo  mere  verbal  de- 
scription could  convey  any  just  idea  of  these  subterranean  gal- 
leries, vaults,  and  coffin  cells ;  so  we  have  inserted  the  following 
plan,  by  which  the  reader  will  see  at  a  glance  the  singular 
course  and  comparative  length  and  depth  of  these  subterrane- 


THE  TOMBS  OP  THE  PROPHETS. 

an  passages.  The  entrance,  Eo.  1,  is  narrow  and  crooked,  and 
now  nearly  choked  up  with  dirt,  so  that  one  has  literally  to 
crawl  to  gain  an  entrance.  At  No.  2  you  find  yourself  in  a 
large  circular  chamber,  twenty-four  feet  in  diameter,  and  ten 
feet  high.  Two  parallel  galleries,  Nos.  3  and  4,  ten  feet  high 
and  five  feet  wide,  are  carried  southward  through  the  rock 
about  sixty  feet;  a  third,  No.  5,  diverges  southeast  about  forty 
feet.  These  are  connected  by  two  cross  galleries  in  concentric 
curves,  Nos.  6  and  7,  one  at  their  extreme  end,  the  other  in  the 
middle.  The  outer  one  is  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  long, 
and  has  a  range  of  thirty  niches  on  the  level  of  its  floor,  radi- 
ating outwards,  in  which  to  deposit  dead  bodies.  Other  pas- 
sages opening  into  other  chambers  may  also  be  seen  in  the 
drawing. 

How  these  singular  catacombs  obtained  the  name  of  "  Tombs 


TOMBS    I  IS  OLIVET. 


95 


of  the  Prophets,"  no  one  now  knows,  as  there  is  no  evidence 
that  any  of  the  prophets  were  buried  here.  They  are,  in  their 
construction,  unlike  any  other  tombs  in  the  vicinity  of  Jerusa- 
lem, Existing  in  connection  with  the  great  Jewish  cemetery, 
would  lead  to  the  supposition  that  the  Jews  might  have  exca- 
vated them;  and  yet,  as  Jerusalem  was  a  city  long  anterior  to 
the  occupation  of  the  Israelites,  they  may  have  a  still  earlier 
date.  Not  a  line  of  inscription,  a  record,  or  remains  of  any 
kind,  have  ever  been  found  to  throw  a  ray  of  light  upon  their 
origin.  Who  built  them,  what  lordly  or  menial  occupants  may 
have  possessed  them,  will  probably  forever  remain  a  profound 
mystery.  Their  ancient  occupants  have  crumbled  to  dust. 
We  found  skeletons  in  a  few  of  the  niches,  but  they  were  evi- 
dently of  recent  deposit.  The  Rabbins  say,  "that  when  the 
dead  shall  live  again,  Mount  Olivet  shall  be  rent  asunder,  and 
all  the  dead  of  Israel  shall  come  out  thence."  Wnen  that  takes 
place,  who  of  the  ancient  worthies  will  spring  up  from  the 
moldering  dust  of  these  lone,  subterranean  regions?  Omnis- 
cience alone  can  tell.  # 

Glad  to  escape  from  the  stifling  air,  and  grim  associations  of 
the  charnel-house,  we  descended  the  hill,  re-crossed  the  Kidron, 
climbed  the  rugged  side  of  Mount  Moriah,  and  stood  beneath 
the  Temple  area,  just  where  the  Gate  Beautiful,  "No.  16,  once 
opened  its  magnificent  portals  towards  the  rising  sun.  The 
outside  of  the  wall  at  the  corner  is  upwards  of  seventy-five  feet 
high,  its  base  reaching  down  upon  the  hill-side.  We  passed 
along  under  the  wall  towards  St.  Stephen's  Gate.  Near  the 
gate  our  attention  was  called  to  some  huge  stones  in  the  base 
of  the  city  wall.  These  stones,  it  is  admitted  by  all,  are  some 
of  the  few  remains  of  old  Jewish  masonry.  They  are  all  bev- 
eled in  the  peculiar  style  of  the  Jewish  cutting,  and  amidst  all 
the  overturns  and  devastating  tides  of  ruin  that  have  swept 
over  the  city,  have  remained  unmoved.  Five  courses  of  them 
are  nearly  entire.  One  of  these  stones  is  twenty-three  feet 
nine  inches  long,  three  feet  thick,  and  five  feet  two  inches  wide. 
Others  are  from  seventeen  to  twenty  feet.  Probably  some  of 
these  immense  rocks  of  the  southeastern  wall  were  laid  in  the 
places  they  now  occupy  by  Solomon  himself  when  he  prepared 


96 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


the  Temple  area.  "  Master,"  said  the  disciples  as  they  went  ou+ 
of  the  temple,  "see  what  manner  of  stones,  and  what  buildings 
are  here."  Though  this  seems  to  have  been  spoken  more  par- 
ticularly of  the  temple  itself,  it  might  also  apply  to  the  outer 
walls. 

Leaving  Gethsemane  upon  our  right,  a  sacred  spot  we  are 
soon  to  visit,  we  passed  around  the  northeast  corner  of  the  city, 
towards  the  Damascus  Gate.  The  hills  on  this  side  of  the  city 
melt  away  into  gentler  slopes ;  there  are  none  of  those  deep  ra- 
vines that  form  the  great  natural  defenses  of  the  other  sides 
of  the  city,  and  it  is  not  until  you  get  some  distance  north  and 
ascend  the  high  ridge  of  Scopus  that  you  can  overlook  any 
portion  of  the  city.  This  being  the  most  defenseless  side  of 
the  city,  from  this  way  its  enemies  have  generally  made  their 
approaches.  On  yonder  ridge  of  Scopus  Titus  had  his  camp, 
and  from  this  point  commenced  the  siege  which  ended  in  such 
fearful  ruin  to  the  city.  As  I  passed  along  these  localities  I 
could  not  but  think  also  of  old  Nehemiah,  in  the  days  of  the 
Babylonish  captivity,  when  he  came  stealthily  by  night,  crawl- 
ing about  among  the  ruins  of  the  demolished  walls,  laying  his 
plans  for  their  reconstruction.  A  little  to  the  northeast  of  Da- 
mascus Gate  we  were  taken  to 

THE    GROTTO   OF  JEREMIAH. 

A  large  portion  of  the  hill  here  has  been  removed  by  the 
quarryings  of  ancient  times,  and  this  grotto  has  been  cut  in>  the 
southern  side  of  a  rocky  ledge,  now  fenced  in,  with  a  garden 
and  dwelling-house  in  front.  The  gate  is  kept  by  a  dingy  Arab, 
whose  obstinacy  nothing  but  the  all-potent  backsheesh  could 
move.  A  shilling  set  gates  and  doors  all  wide  open,  and  gave 
us  free  access  to  every  avenue.  It  is  a  spacious,  romantic  place. 
In  one  corner  was  an  opening  into  an  inner  cavern,  containing 
a  large  fountain  and  a  reservoir  of  water.  But  for  what  are 
we  here,  but  to  see  the  place  where  Jeremiah  wrote  his  lamenta- 
tions? There  in  that  deep,  dismal  corner  of  the  great  cavern, 
high  upon  that  rocky  bed,  is  the  very  spot — "they  say."  I 
climbed  up  to  the  top ;  a  deep  indentation  in  the  rock,  precise- 
ly the  shape  of  a  man's  back  from  the  shoulders  downward, 


ANCIENT  TOMBS. 


97 


was  identified  as  the  very  place  where  the  old  prophet  lay, 
mourned  and  wrote.  I  lay  down  and  adjusted  my  back  to  the 
hard  mold,  and  found  it  an  excellent  fit.  Poor  old  seer!  If 
he  was  compelled  to  lie  here  till  his  aching  back  had  thus  in- 
dented the  hard  rock,  no  wonder  that  his  productions,  for  the 
bitterness  of  their  sorrows  and  the  depths  of  their  pathos,  have 
obtained  for  him  the  name  of  the  weeping  prophet! 

VISITS   TO   OTHER  TOMBS. 

"We  have  not  done  yet  with  the  ancient  tombs  of  Jerusalem. 
There  are  several  extensive  and  magnificent  ones  about  the 
head  of  this  valley  of  Jehoshaphat.  It  seems  to  have  been  the 
ambition  of  ancient  heroes,  not  only  to  rule  while  living,  but 
to  have  a  secure  and  quiet  resting  place  when  dead.  Conscious 
that  grim  death  would  wind  his  leaden  arms  about  them,  and 
lay  them  to  rest  in  his  silent  dominions,  they  hewed  to  them- 
selves costly  mausoleums,  where  they  hoped  to  rest  undisturbed. 
How  few  of  them  succeeded !  The  hand  of  the  invader,  more 
ruthless  than  death  himself,  has  sought  them  out,  and  where  is 
the  tomb  that  has  not  long  since  been  opened  and  plundered? 
The  more  laborious  the  passage  and  curious  the  art  of  conceal- 
ment, the  more  expectation  was  excited  and  avarice  stimu- 
lated in  hopes  of  finding  hidden  treasures. 

The  Tombs  op  the  Judges  are  not  far  from  us  to  the  north- 
ward. They  are  extensive  excavations  in  the  rocks — rooms  be- 
yond rooms,  and  chambers  beneath  chambers,  with  tiers  of  re- 
cesses for  the  honored  dead.  On  another  occasion,  I  went  out 
to  them  with  two  of  my  companions,  provided  with  torches, 
and  walked  through  the  gloomy  halls.  All  traces  of  those  who 
once  slept  here  have  disappeared.  "Who  occupied  these  vaulted 
chambers,  who  wept  for  them,  or  sang  their  requiem,  none  can 
tell.  These  tombs  received  their  present  name  from  a  tradi- 
tion that  the  members  of  the  Jewish  Sanhedrim  were  buried 
here,  but  of  this  there  is  no  certainty.  They  face  the  west,  and 
have  a  magnificent  sculptured  entrance,  ornamented  with  flow- 
ers and  other  devices  surrounding  flaming  torches.  From 
these  we  turned  to  the  most  elaborately  wrought  sepulchres  in 
all  this  region — the  Tombs  of  the  Kings. 


98 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


They  are  nearly  north  of  the  Damascus  Gate,  very  near 
where  the  old  wall  made  its  northernmost  angle.  Dr.  Bar- 
clay has  thoroughly  explored  them,  and  being  with  us  will  be 
our  guide.  They  are  also  called  the  "  Tomb  of  Helena,"  from  a 
supposition  that  they  were  intended  for  this  renowned  princess. 
Why  called  Tombs  of  the  Kings,  it  is  difficult  to  tell,  unless 
they  belonged  to  the  Herodian  times,  for  the  kings  of  Judah 
were  buried  on  the  southern  side  of  Zion.  To  show  the  skill 
and  labor  expended  on  these  tombs,  we  here  introduce  the  ac- 
companying diagram : 


THE  TOMBS  OP  THE  KINGS. 

Approaching  the  place,  you  find  a  huge  trench  or  road  cut 
out  of  the  rock,  down  which  you  pass  till  you  are  eighteen  feet 
below  the  surrounding  surface.  Here  you  pass  a  doorway, 
through  a  wall  of  native  rock  seven  feet  thick,  into  a  large 
open  court,  excavated  also  from  the  solid  rock,  ninety-two  feet 
long,  and  eighty-seven  feet  wide,  a  section  of  which  is  seen  at 


TOMBS    OF  THE  KINGS. 


99 


No.  1  of  the  dfagram,  the  walls  all  hewn  smooth  and  perpen- 
dicular. Tire  bottom  of  this  court  was,  no  doubt,  a  smooth 
floor  of  rock,  but  it  is  now  incumbered  with  piles  of  dirt  and 
stone.  On  the  west  side  of  this  court  is  an  open  doorway, 
twenty-seven  feet  wide,  leading  into  a  spacious  vestibule,  No. 
2,  thirty-nine  feet  long,  seventeen  feet  wide  and  fifteen  feet 
high.  This  vestibule,  like  all  other  portions  of  the  building,  is 
excavated  from  the  solid  rock.  The  sides  of  the  doorway  were 
once  ornamented  with  pilasters,  and  two  stone  columns,  now 
broken  down,  divided  the  entrance  into  three  equal  spaces.  On 
the  rock  above  the  entrance  are  some  elegant  sculptures — large 
clusters  of  grapes  between  garlands  of  flowers,  intermingled 
with  Corinthian  capitals  and  other  decorations.  Tracery  work 
of  flowers  and  fruits  extend  across  the  portal  and  hang  down 
along  the  sides.  I  was  surprised  to  see  how  well  this  exquisite 
carving  had  been  preserved  amid  the  wasting  influences  of  time 
and  the  ravages  of  reckless  barbarians. 

The  floor  of  the  inner  chamber,  No.  4,  is  nearly  three  feet 
lower  than  the  floor  of  the  vestibule,  and  is  entered  by  a  low 
doorway,  No.  3.  This  doorway  was  so  ingeniously  contrived, 
as,  in  the  days  of  its  perfection,  to  have  almost  entirely  baffled 
the  search  of  the  curious  who  might  wish  to  find  it.  It  would 
be  impossible  to  give  an  accurate  idea  of  this  by  any  mere 
verbal  description.  It  is  certainly,  as  one  says,  "  one  of  the 
most  ingenious  and  remarkable  pieces  of  mechanism  handed 
down  to  us  from  antiquity."  This  entrance  was  beneath  a  trap 
door,  concealed  by  flagging-stones;  while  the  landing  under  it 
was  a  deep  well,  into  which  one  had  to  descend  to  find  the  pas- 
sage. This  wonderful  doorway  has  now  been  broken  up,  and 
the  entrance  so  filled  with  dirt  and  stones  we  had  to  get  down, 
and,  serpent-like,  work  our  way  through.  Succeeding  in  this 
we  stood  in  room  No.  4.  This  is  only  an  ante-room,  and  not 
intended  for  burial,  eighteen  and  a  half  feet  by  nineteen.  Here 
the  Doctor  called  our  attention  to  another  ingenious  device  for 
securing  the  safety  of  the  tombs.  On  the  inside  of  this  strange 
doorway  was  originally  hung  a  ponderous  stone  door.  It  could 
be  easily  pushed  open  by  the  person  entering,  if  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  the  hidden  passage ;  but  after  being  opened 


100 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


was  so  contrived,  by  being  hung  upon  an  inclined  jamb,  that 
it  would  swing  to  from  its  own  weight,  and  could  n'ot  be  opened 
from  the  inside ;  and  the  intruder  might  find  himself  in  a  dis- 
mal dungeon,  left  to  perish  with  the  moldering  dead  about  him, 
without  the  possibility  of  escape. 

From  this  ante-chamber  a  low  doorway  opened  into  No.  5, 
a  room  eleven  feet  by  twelve,  having  six  niches  in  the  walls,  in 
which  to  lay  the  bodies  of  the  dead ;  another  passage  opened 
in-to  a  similar  room,  No.  6,  thirteen  feet  by  thirteen,  having 
also  receptacles  for  sarcophagi  or  bodies.  On  the  west  another 
passage  way  opens  into  No.  7,  thirteen  and  one-fourth  feet 
square,  which  appears  to  be  the  most  important  room  of  all, 
having  three  crypts  on  each  of  three  sides,  north,  south  and 
west;  some  of  these  crypts  open  into  still  smaller  chambers  for 
tombs.  The  doorways  of  these  rooms  were  all  secured,  like 
the  one  first  mentioned,  by  heavy  stone  doors  hung  upon  the 
inside,  shutting  of  themselves,  and  opened  only  from  the  outer 
passage.  Fragments  of  these  doors,  some  of  them  ornamented 
with  carvings,  may  still  be  seen  in  the  rooms.  Along  the  sides 
of  these  rooms  are  small  channels  cut  in  the  floor  to  carry  off 
any  water  that  may  drip  from  the  ceilings;  the  walls  are  square 
and  handsomely  chiseled,  but  not  polished. 

From  the  southwest  corner  of  No.  6,  a  flight  of  steps  de- 
scend into  a  lower  chamber,  No.  8,  lying  partly  beneath  Nos.  4 
and  8,  ten  feet  by  twelve.  On  each  of  three  sides  of  this  room 
are  large  arched  niches  for  the  reception  of  sarcophagi,  and 
such  undoubtedly  once  occupied  them.  They  were  of  beauti- 
ful white  marble,  elegantly  sculptured  with  flowers  and  wreaths; 
but  they  have  been  torn  from  their  resting  places,  broken  in 
pieces,  and  scattered  about  the  room.  From  the  north  side  of 
No.  7,  a  flight  of  steps  leads  to  a  similar  lower  story  chamber, 
lying  far  beneath  the  surface,  and,  like  the  former  one,  having 
the  remains  of  once  beautifully  sculptured,  but  now  broken 
sarcophagi  scattered  about  it. 

Such  is  the  construction  of  these  elaborate  tombs,  so  far  as 
they  have  been  explored.  Lying,  as  they  do,  all  upon  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  vestibule,  suggested  to  Dr.  Robinson  that 
there  must  be  others  upon  the  opposite  side.    He  set  several 


ETJINED  TOMBS. 


101 


men  at  work  to  clear  away  the  rubbish,  to  see  if  he  could  not 
discover  some  opening  in  that  direction ;  but  all  their  efforts 
were  in  vain.  Still  the  Doctor  thinks  there  may  be  such 
entrance,  but  so  adroitly  concealed  as  yet  to  baffle  all  research. 
It  has  often  occurred  to  me  since  visiting  the  place,  that  as  the 
well  at  No.  3  was  made  in  part  to  conceal  the  entrance  to  these 
chambers,  and  mislead  explorers,  it  might  also  be  connected 
with  some  secret  passage  in  an  opposite  direction.  "Whether  it 
has  ever  been  thoroughly  explored  with  a  view  to  the  settle- 
ment of  that  question,  I  do  not  know,  but  presume  it  has  not. 

But  we  have  groped  about  these  ruined,  plundered  tombs 
long  enough.  How  eloquently  they  speak  to  us,  not  only  of 
the  vanity  of  human  greatness,  but  the  insecurity  of  both  the 
living  and  the  dead.  The  good  and  the  brave,  the  mitred 
priest  and  the  sceptred  king,  may  here  have  sought  a  secure 
and  quiet  resting  place ;  but  their  secret  chambers  have  been 
laid  open,  their  costly  sarcophagi  dashed  in  pieces,  and  their 
dust  scattered  to  the  winds  of  heaven.  There  is  no  secure 
hiding  place  but  in  Him  who  says :  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and 
the  life."  Standing  in  him  while  we  live,  entombed  in  him 
when  we  die,  we  may  banish  our  anxieties  about  the  fate  of 
the  frail  tenement  of  clay.  It  may  sleep  in  the  deep,  dark 
caverns  of  earth,  or  be  inhumed  in  the  fathomless  waters  of  the 
mighty  deep,  or  be  burned  and  scattered  like  the  dust  of  the 
summer  threshing  floor;  it  shall  not  be  lost — the  eye  of  Omni- 
science will  watch  over  it — it  shall  live  again  and  live  forever. 

EXCAVATIONS   BENEATH   THE  CITY. 

We  had  still  one  more  place  of  interest  to  visit  as  we  left  the 
tombs  and  turned  our  steps  toward  the  city.  These  were  the 
wonderful  excavations  discovered  by  Dr.  Barclay  beneath  the 
city.  The  knowledge  of  these  appears  to  have  been  lost,  and  the 
Doctor  had  no  intimations  of  their  existence ;  it  was  only  by  a 
singular  circumstance  he  discovered  the  entrance  to  them.  On 
one  occasion,  returning  from  a  walk,  as  he  approached  the  Da- 
mascus Gate,  he  found  his  dog  barking  furiously,  and  digging 
under  a  portion  of  the  wall  a  little  east  of  the  gate.  He  soon 
discovered  there  was  an  opening  under  the  wall,  closed  up  by 


102 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


a  pile  of  loose  dirt.  Fearing  to  make  any  examinations  by 
daylight,  lest  he  should  excite  the  jealousy  and  opposition  of 
the  Moslems,  he  closed  up  the  aperture  and  returned  to  his 
home.  But  his  curiosity  could  not  sleep  over  the  discovery. 
With  some  members  of  his  family,  duly  equipped  with  torches 
and  shovels,  he  returned,  under  cover  of  night,  and  soon 
enlarged  the  aperture,  so  that  one  after  another  they  slipped 
under  the  wall.  The  wonderful  discovery  they  made  there,  the 
Doctor  has  brought  us  to  this  place  to  show;  so  let  us  slip  in 
with  him  through  the  narrow  opening,  and  light  our  torches. 
First,  we  see  an  immense  roof  of  stone,  like  a  great  ceiling, 
over  our  heads.  An  immense  heap  of  dirt  appears  to  have 
been  shoveled  in  here,  evidently  intended  to  close  up  the  pas- 
sage, but  it  has  settled  down  two  or  three  feet,  so  that  we  can 
crawl  over  the  top  of  it,  bumping  our  heads  occasionally  against 
the  stone  ceiling  above.  This  great  mound  of  earth  reaches 
from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  feet.  As  we  went  clamber- 
ing over  it,  the  air  seemed  filled  with  smoke,  and  soon  a  light 
made  its  appearance  ahead.  "What  can  it  mean?"  says  one. 
We  approached,  and  found  a  miserable  looking  Arab  man  and 
woman,  with  two  or  three  ragged  children,  sitting  around  a  fire 
they  had  kindled  with  a  few  sticks.  They  were  evidently  a 
miserable  vagrant  family,  who,  having  no  house  or  home,  had 
crawled  in  here  to  find  temporary  protection.  We  now  went 
down  a  steep  descent  upon  the  opposite  side  of  this  great  pile 
of  loam;  the  cavern  deepening  upon  us,  and  expanding  into 
unknown  dimensions,  in  the  thick  darkness  of  which  the  glim- 
mering light  of  our  tapers  died  away  in  the  distance  without 
any  obstruction  to  reflect  it.  It  was  darkness  fearful ;  silence 
profound  and  awful.  Then  we  came  upon  huge  piles  of  the 
ehippings  of  stones,  where  workmen  of  unknown  times  had 
labored  in  giving  proper  shape  and  form  to  the  quarried  masses. 
Large  pillars  of  the  native  rock  had  been  left  at  suitable  inter- 
vals to  support  the  ponderous  ceiling. 

On  we  proceeded,  slowly  and  cautiously.  Suddenly  the 
Doctor's  warning  voice  arrested  our  attention :  "  Hold,  don't 
go  there!"  A  sudden  halt.  "And  what's  here,  Doctor ? "  "A 
frightful  precipice  and  chasm."    We  looked  beneath  us,  but 


CAVE    BENEATH    THE  CITY. 


103 


could  see  nothing  except  an  impenetrable  pall  of  darkness, 
black  as  Erebus.  The  Doctor's  sounding  line  had  been  there 
before  us  in  his  former  explorations.  The  pit  here  is  deep  and 
the  sides  precipitous.  The  Doctor  assured  us  that  in  his  former 
explorations,  on  reaching  the  bottom  he  found  a  human  skeleton. 
Some  poor  fellow — who  or  when  none  will  ever  know — had 
bund  his  way  in  there,  stumbled  over  the  precipice,  and  as 
examination  showed,  broke  his  skull  in  the  fall — killed  and 
sepulchred  in  these  mysterious  vaults. 

In  one  place,  where  we  came  to  the  termination  of  a  great 
chamber,  we  stopped  to  contemplate  the  unfinished  work  of 
the  ancient  quarrymen.  Here  were  great  blocks  of  stone, 
partly  quarried,  still  hanging  to  the  native  mass.  One  of  these 
was  a  perpendicular  stone  about  ten  feet  high,  and  between 
three  and  four  feet  square.  The  workmen  had  commenced  by 
cutting  a  perpendicular  crease  upon  the  two  exposed  sides, 
about  four  inches  wide,  and  had  proceeded  until  it  was  about 
two  feet  deep  upon  each  side  of  the  block.  This  must  have 
been  effected  by  some  long,  pointed  instrument,  with  a  chfssel- 
shaped  end.  They  had  no  gunpowder  in  those  days  to  blast 
the  rocks,  and  they  seem  not  to  have  understood  how  to  split 
them  out  with  wedges,  but  they  were  literally  chisseled  out  by 
persevering  labor.  The  work  of  cutting  out  this  block  was 
nearly  completed,  for  the  two  grooves,  one  from  the  front,  and 
the  other  from  the  side,  at  right  angles  with  each  other,  had 
been  carried  nearly  to  the  necessary  depth  to  allow  the  upright 
mass  to  be  pried  from  its  resting  place.  The  marks  of  the  tool 
were  as  perfect  as  if  made  but  yesterday.  But  the  workmen 
left  it  and  never  returned.  "Why  ?  Who  can  'tell  ?  What  a 
field  for  the  rovings  of  imagination  the  question  opens  !  Was 
it  found  just  at  that  peculiar  juncture  that  no  more  stone  were 
needed  ?  Did  some  besieging  army  encamp  before  the  walls, 
and  the  consternations  of  war  stop  the  work  of  public  improve- 
ments ?  or  did  death  palsy  the  stalwart  arm  that  had  so  vigor- 
ously wielded  the  implement  of  labor  ? 

This  great  cavern  lies  under  Bezetha.     We  spent  some  time 
in  wandering  about  the  interior.  Dr.  Barclay  tells  us  he  meas- 
ured from  the  entrance  to  the  termination,  the  longest  way, 
7 


104 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet;  and  found  it  upwards  of  three 
thousand  feet  in  circumference.  It  was  evidently  the  great 
quarry  from  which  the  ancient  inhabitants  took  their  stone  for 
building  the  city.  The  material  is  a  soft,  white  limestone, 
easily  worked,  but  hardening  on  exposure  to  the  weather. 
Here,  no  doubt,  was  Solomon's  great  quarry,  from  which  he 
took  the  stone  for  the  Temple.  The  reasons  assigned  for  this 
belief  are :  first,  the  stone  is  the  same  as  that  of  some  portions 
of  the  old  wall  still  remaining;  second,  an  opening  could 
easily  have  been  made  on  the  side  of  the  quarry  next  the 
Temple,  and  the  stone  conveniently  transported  to  the  Temple 
area ;  third,  the  immense  piles  of  chippings  found  in  these 
caverns  show  that  the  stone  were  not  only  quarried,  but  dressed 
and  finished  here,  corresponding  with  the  account  that  they 
were  brought  to  the  Temple  ready  to  be  laid  in  their  places, 
without  the  necessity  of  hammer  or  graving  tool;  fourth,  the 
vast  extent  of  the  quarry,  and  the  amount  of  stone  that  must 
have  been  worked  out  there,  and  the  size  of  some  of  the 
blocks  ;  fifth,  the  extreme  age  of  that  part  of  this  same  quarry 
lying  outside  of  the  wall,  where  extensive  excavations  have 
been  made,  and  which  dates  back  in  legends  and  tradi- 
tions to  the  time  of  Jeremiah;  and,  lastly,  that  there  are  no 
other  great  quarries  near  the  city  from  which  the  material 
could  have  been  taken.  So  here  we  are  where  Solomon's 
workmen  labored,  and  prepared  the  stones  for  the  magnificent 
Temple  of  God  ! 

It  is  now  a  solemn  and  gloomy  abode.  Large  numbers  of 
bats  hang  from  the  ceiling,  and,  aroused  by  your  approach, 
flit  about  your  head.  Occasionally  a  pile  of  bones,  brought  in 
by  the  jackalls,  arrest  your  attention,  and  the  giving  way' of 
the  dirt  beneath  your  feet  indicates  the  places  where  they  bur- 
rowed. The  water  trickles  from  the  lofty  ceiling,  and  the  lapse 
of  ages  has  hung  the  roof  with  sparry  incrustations.  The 
Crusaders  have  been  here,  and  traced  crosses  and  other  devices 
upon  the  walls.  Various  emotions  are  excited  as  you  wander 
about  by  the  light  of  your  flickering  tapers.  You  are  aston- 
ished at  the  extent  of  the  excavations,  awed  by  the  grandeur 
of  the  lofty  ceilings,  impressed  wTith  the  pervading  gloom  and 


RETUEN    TO    THE  CITY. 


105 


silence,  and  bewildered  amid  the  reveries  the  associations  and 
remembrances  of  the  past  inspire. 

RETURN    TO   THE   LIGHT    OP  DAY. 

Here  we  are  again  amid  the  blazing  sunlight  of  heaven, 
breathing  the  free  air,tragrant  with  the  perfume  of  the  great 
beds  of  wild  flowers,  that,  despite  the  hand  of  neglect  and 
desolation,  spring  up  all  around  the  city.  "What  a  time  we 
have  had  wandering  among  the  cold  tombs,  and  through  the 
vaulted,  subterranean  chambers  of  this  wonderful  city.  We 
are  now  through  with  this,  and  will  turn  our  steps  to  more 
cheerful  places,  and  our  eyes  to  more  pleasing  sights.  We  have 
soiled  our  garments,  and  the  light  lime  dust  of  the  vaults,  like 
flour,  has  been  sifted  over  us ;  the  sun  is  creeping  down  the 
western  slope  of  Judah's  hills,  and  we  are  admonished  to  seek 
our  homes. 

It  is  pleasant  to  linger  about  thy  walls,  0  Jerusalem !  How 
every  foot  of  thy  soil  seems  hallowed  by  the  sacred  associa- 
tions of  the  past !  The  affections  of  the  sons  of  Abraham 
cluster  about  thee,  and  the  Christian  gazes  long  and  earnestly 
upon  thy  mountains  and  valleys,  thy  fountains  and  towers, 
thy  domes  and  battlements.  But  we  must  not  linger  here. 
The  gates  close  at  sunset,  and  we  must  get  within  the  walls. 
Now  watch,  and  you  will  have  another  instructive  illustration 
of  Scripture  in 

THE    SHEPHERD    AND    HIS  FLOCK. 

They  have  been  out  during  the  day  wandering  about  the 
hills  and  valleys,  and  now,  as  night  falls  gently  on  the  land- 
scape, they  seek  safety  and  protection  within  the  gates,  where 
the  flocks  are  safely  folded  for  the  night.  There  comes  a  shep- 
herd with  -his  numerous  bleating  family.  A  part  of  them  are 
white  long-wooled  sheep,  and  part  black  long-eared  goats. 
Sometimes  it  becomes  necessary  to  separate  them.  "  Then  shall 
he  separate  the  righteous  from  the  wicked,  as  a  shepherd  di- 
videth  his  sheep  from  the  goats."  See :  the  shepherd  goes 
before,  and  the  sheep  hear  his  voice  and  follow  him.  Try  and 
imitate  his  call,  and  see  if  they  will  leave  him.    No!  "A 


10G 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


stranger  will  they  not  follow,  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of 
strangers."  What  a  striking  illustration  of  our  Savior's  teach- 
ings !  How  often,  as  I  stood  at  eventide,  and  watched  these 
faithful  shepherds  leading  their  flocks  to  secure  folds  within 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  my  mind  was  carried  forward  to  the 
close  of  this  world's  long  day,  and  the  approaching  night  of 
eternity,  when  the  good  Shepherd  shall  bring  his  beloved  and 
redeemed  flock  within  the  gates  of  the  glorious  city  of  God, 
and  give  them  a  secure  resting  place  in  the  Jerusalem  on  high. 
As  they  approach  the  gate,  the  armed  sentinel  steps  aside  to 
give  shepherd  and  flock  a  welcome  admittance.  "  To  him  the 
porter  openeth."  So  I  thought  again,  when  the  great  Shepherd 
with  his  redeemed  flock  shall  approach  the  gates  of  the  ever- 
lasting city,  the  voice  of  the  omnipotent  Jehovah  will  be  heard  : 
"  Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates,  even  lift  them  up  ye  everlast- 
ing doors,  and  the  king  of  glory  shall  come  in."  How  many 
rich  and  instructive  lessons  we  are  learning  as  we  wander  about 
this  city — voices  from  the  tombs,  voices  from  the  customs  of 
the  country  that  for  so  many  generations  have  remained  un- 
changed. 

We  have  had  a  laborious,  but  an  interesting  and  instructive 
day.  We  have  seen  and  learned  much,  thanks  to  the  kindness 
of  Dr.  Barclay;  we  shall  remember  him  with  gratitude  for  the 
aid  he  has  rendered  us  in  this  and  other  walks  about  the  city. 
We  must  get  in  before  dark.  One  of  the  police  regulations  of 
the  city  forbids  any  person  being  in  the  streets  after  dark,  un- 
less he  carries  a  lantern.  Darkness  and  crime  are  supposed  to 
be  hand  in  hand  associates.  "Let  your  light  so  shine  that 
others  may  see  your  good  works."  So  as  we  have  no  lantern, 
and  it  is  getting  dark,  we  will  hasten  along,  first  through  the 
street  of  Mount  Zion,  then  up  the  Yia  Dolorosa,  across  the 
street  of  the  Patriachs  into  the  Christian  quarters,  and  thence 
to  our  convent  home. 

THE    FAST    OP   R  A  MED  AN. 

Saturday  Evening,  March  23.  Take  your  Bible  and  come 
with  me  upon  the  house-top,  and  let  us  spend  the  closing  hour 
of  day  in  reading  and  meditation.    The  sun  is  just  sinking 


ON    THE  HOUSE-TOP. 


107 


away  in  the  clear,  blue,  western  sky — lower  and  lower — he  is 
out  of  sight.  Hark !  the  thundering  boom  of  cannon  from  the 
old  citadel  of  David  rolls  over  the  city,  and  echoes  back  from 
Zion  and  Olivet.  Scarcely  has  the  sound  died  away  in  the  dis- 
tance ere  the  air  is  rent  with  the  vociferations  of  a  clamorous 
multitude — the  shout  of  the  many  thousands  of  men,  women 
and  children  that  congregate  in  the  Mohammedan  quarter  of 
the  city.  It  is  one  prolonged  and  deafening  strain,  rising  even 
above  the  cannon's  roar.  What  does  it  mean?  This  is  the 
time  of  the  great  fast  of  Ramedan,  imposed  by  the  Prophet  on 
all  the  faithful.  It  occurs  always  at  this  period  of  the  year, 
and  continues  one  entire  lunar  month,  commencing  with  the 
change  of  the  moon.  The  fast  is  held  each  day  from  sunrise 
to  sunset.  Neither  smoking,  drinking  or  eating  is  allowed. 
Shops  are  kept  open,  and  business  goes  on  as  usual,  though 
many  of  the  more  devout  carry  their  beads  and  count  off  an 
extra  number  of  pra}Ters. 

At  sunset  the  rigid  fast  of  the  day  closes,  and  the  night  is 
given  up  to  drinking,  feasting  and  revelry.  The  gun  we  heard 
was  the  sunset  signal ;  the  multitudinous  shouts  that  rent  the 
air  were  the  acclamations  of  joy  at  the  announcement  of  the 
hour  that  lifted  the  ban,  and  opened  the  door  for  sensual  indul- 
gence. 

To-morrow  will  be  our  first  Sabbath  in  Jerusalem.  It  is 
Palm  Sunday,  and  we  shall  have  an  opportunity  to  visit  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  witness  some  of  the  impos- 
ing ceremonies  there ;  but  more  than  that,  we  shall  stand  on 
Calvary,  and  visit  the  sepulchre  where  the  Savior  was  laid. 


108 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Palm  Sunday  —  Calvary  —  The  Holy  Sepulchre  —  Religious 
Ceremonies,  and  Holy  Places. 

March  24th.  A  Sabbath  in  Jerusalem  !  Hail,  holy  morning, 
hail!  In  ancient  times  the  returning  Sabbath  in  Jerusalem 
brought  a  calm  and  holy  day  of  rest.  The  gates  were  shut ; 
the  tumult  of  business  ceased ;  the  haunts  of  pleasure  were  de- 
serted; the  voice  of  mirth  was  hushed,  and  the  solemnity  of 
the  day  of  God  rested  on  Olivet  and  Zion.  All  conspired  to 
impress  the  dweller  in  the  city  of  God  with  the  stern  reality 
of  the  sacred  law:  " Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it 
holy."  Alas,  how  changed!  The  commandments  of  the 
Prophet  bring  no  hallowed  day  of  rest.  While  Moslem  and 
Jew  pursue  their  accustomed  avocations,  we  will  join  with  the 
Christian  population  in  their  observance  of  the  day.  There 
will  be  Protestant  worship  at  the  rooms  of  the  American  con- 
sulate at  2  o'clock;  we  will  spend  the  morning  hour  at  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.    It  is 

PALM  SUNDAY. 

The  -Catholic  Christians  will  observe  the  day  with  appropri- 
ate ceremonies.  A  little  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago  the  Savior  was  at  Bethany,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Olivet, 
on  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  to  unite  in  the  feast  of  the  Passover. 
As  he  came  from  Bethany  around  the  slope  of  Olivet  towards 
Jerusalem,  his  friends  set  him  on  a  colt,  and  the  multitude  took 
branches  of  palm  trees,  and  came  forth  to  meet  him,  crying, 
"Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David."  The  celebration  to-day  is 
the  anniversary  of  this  last  entry  of  the  Savior  into  Jerusalem, 
just  before  his  suffering  and  crucifixion.    A  short  walk  from 


SUNDAY    IN  JERUSALEM. 


109 


our  convent,  marked  upon  the  plan  of  Jerusalem  by  a  *,  brings 
us  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  marked  with  a  f,  the 
reputed 

PLACE   OP    THE  CRUCIFIXION. 

If  there  is  any  ground  about  Jerusalem  that  may  be  consid- 
ered holy,  we  are  now  approaching  it.  If  there  is  one  spot  on 
earth  more  sacred  than  another,  it  is  the  place  consecrated  by 
the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  hallowed  by  his  repose  in  death.  But 
is  this  really  the  place  ?  No  one  of  the  so-called  "  Holy  Pla- 
ces" has  been  the  occasion  of  fiercer  disputes  and  more  pro- 
tracted debates  than  this.  Eminent  men  have  been  arrayed 
against  each  other,  and  still  the  question  is  an  open  one.  As  I 
have  said  before,  in  coming  here  I  did  not  expect  to  settle  these 
controverted  questions  of  geography  and  topography,  of  sites 
and  dates.  Dr.  Eobinson,  upon  the  one  side,  and  Mr.  Williams 
upon  the  other,  have  said  all  that  can  well  be  said;  and  to  them 
the  captious  or  disputatious  reader  is  referred.  Tradition  has 
marked  this  as  the  site  from  the  very  earliest  ages  of  the  Chris- 
tian era.  There  has  never  been  a  time,  even  during  the  days 
of  fiercest  and  bloodiest  persecution,  that  some  faithful  ones 
have  not  lingered  around  this  great  center  of  Christian  attrac- 
tion. The  memory  of  Jesus  was  at  once  embalmed  in  the  af- 
fections of  his  disciples.  Would  they,  or  their  successors,  have 
been  likely  to  have  forgotten  the  place  where  transpired  the 
last  great  act  in  the  sacred  drama  that  gave  life  and  hope  to  a 
ruined  world?  Besides,  why' need  we  doubt,  where  faith  can 
do  no  harm  ?  If  it  be  right  to  revere  the  memory  of  an  earth- 
ly friend ;  to  plant  flowers  upon  the  grave ;  to  adorn  the  spot 
where  sleeps  a  dear  father,  a  sainted  mother,  or  a  beloved 
child;  to  go  there,  and  even  weep  there,  can  it  be  wrong  to 
hallow  the  spot  where  the  best  and  dearest  of  all  friends  laid 
down  his  life  for  us  ?  or  is  it  idolatry  to  build  a  shrine  to  his 
memory?  In  visiting  Calvary  and  the  Sepulchre,  I  did  not 
wish  to  go  laden  with  a  burden  of  distracting  and  unprofitable 
questions.  I  preferred  to  give  memory  the  free  use  of  her  an- 
gelic pinions,  that  I  might  be  borne  into  the  very  presence  of 
my  bleeding  Savior;  to  look  upon  him  with  an  un dimmed  eye 


110 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


of  faith ;  to  feel  that  I  was  standing  beneath  the  very  drop- 
pings of  his  blood,  upon  the  very  soil  that  witnessed  the  last 
great  struggle,  when  he  came  forth  victorious  from  the  battle — 
the  triumphant  conqueror  of  death.  Come,  then,  with  me  to 
Calvary  and  the  Sepulchre. 

The  devout  Christian  visitor,  as  he  seeks  the  place  where  the 
Lord  died  and  was  buried — looks  for  the  hill  of  Calvary,  the 
garden  and  the  rock-hewn  tomb — has  pictured  in  his  imagina- 
tion some  retired  place  of  rugged  rock  and  sloping  hill,  of  sol- 
emn shade  and  gloomy  glen,  where  nature  yet  wears  her  wild 
and  unpruned  robes.  How  deep  his  disappointment  as  he  ap- 
proaches the  place,  and  finds  the  hand  of  art  has  so  trans- 
formed and  disguised  it !  The  sacred  locality  is  now  all  cov- 
ered over  and  inclosed  within  the  fort-like  walls  and  massive 
dome  of  an  enormous  church.  The  Holy  Sepulchre  is  en- 
shrined in  casements  of  polished  marble,  surrounded  by  great 
wax  candles,  and  hung  with  pictures,  images,  crucifixes,  and 
gold  and  silver  lamps.  The  city,  with  its  walls,  lanes  and 
houses,  closely  encompass  the  place,  excluding  every  appear- 
ance of  natural  scenery,  while  the  court  of  the  church  is  made 
a  great  bazar  for  the  sale  of  beads,  rosaries,  amulets  and  rel- 
ics. It  seems  difficult  at  first  to  rise  above  these  strange  sur- 
roundings, and  feel  that  here  was  once  the  wild,  rugged  soil  of 
Calvary,  and  the  cultivated  garden  of  Joseph,  in  which  he  had 
hewn  for  himself  a  tomb.    This  great  pile  of  buildings  is 

THE    CHURCH    OF   THe'hOLY  SEPULCHRE. 

The  history  of  this  church  is  a  long  one,  and  as  varied  as  the 
fortunes  of  the  city,  of  which  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive features.  It  appears  that  when  the  devoted  Helena,  moth- 
er of  Constantine,  came  to  Jerusalem  seeking  to  honor  the 
memory  of  the  Savior,  there  stood  upon  this  spot  a  heathen 
temple  dedicated  to  Venus.  This,  it  is  supposed,  had  been 
built  by  pagan  Romans  out  of  hostility  to  Christ,  and  with  a 
view  of  so  defiling  a  place  revered  by  his  devoted  followers  as 
to  make  it  an  abomination  to  them.  This  pagan  shrine  was 
torn  down  by  order  of  Constantine,  and  a  Christian  church 
erected  upon  the  spot,  commenced  A.  D.  325 ;  completed  A.  D. 


VISIT    TO  CALVARY. 


Ill 


335.  This  Christian  monument  stood  two  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-nine years.  In  A.  D.  614,  it  was  entirelytdestroyed  by  the 
Persians.  Sixteen  years  after,  it  was  re-built  upon  a  still  larger 
and  more  magnificent  scale.  A  spacious  rotunda,  with  a  huge 
dome  supported  upon  twelve  massive  columns,  was  built  around 
and  over  the  Sepulchre,  and  a  portion  of  the  church  was  ex- 
tended over  Calvary,  .covering  the  supposed  place  of  the  cruci- 
fixion. This  was  an  age  of  superstition  and  of  blind  devotion 
to  relics,  and  other  chapels  were  built,  extending  in  different 
directions,  in  honor  of  other  supposed  sacred  localities. 

This  pile  of  buildings,  that  had  been  enlarged  and  adorned 
by  successive  dignitaries  of  church  and  state,  was  demolished 
and  made  a  complete  heap  of  ruins  by  the  bigoted  Caliph  Ha- 
kim, in  1048.  Thirty-eight  years  the  hard  hand  of  Moslem 
despotism  held  in  check  the  desire  of  the  Christian  to  again 
adorn  Calvary  and  the  Sepulchre.  Then,  the  work  of  recon- 
struction commenced,  but  many  hindrances  and  embarrass- 
ments impeded  the  enlargement  and  prosecution  of  the  work. 
In  the  year  1099,  the  Crusaders  took  Jerusalem,  and  under 
Christian  rule,  the  church  was  remodelled,  enlarged,  enriched, 
and  new  shrines  added.  The  subsequent  fortunes  of  Jerusa- 
lem did  not  seriously  affect  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
It  remained  as  the  Crusaders  found  and  improved  it  till  1808, 
when  the  calamity  of  an  accidental  fire  accomplished  what  war 
had  often  done.  The  great  rotunda  was  destroyed;  the  huge 
dome  fell  in,  piling  its  burning  timbers  over  the  canopy  of  the 
Sepulchre.  The  external  wall  of  marble  that  had  been  built 
over  it  was  reduced  to  lime,  but  the  Sepulchre  itself  escaped 
unharmed.  Phcenix-like,  the  majestic  dome  again  arose  from 
the  ashes  of  its  former  ruins,  and  the  church,  as  it  now  stands, 
was  dedicated  in  1810. 

THE    CHURCH   AS   IT    NOW  IS. 

The  massive  doorway  by  which  entrance  is  obtained  is  on 
the  south,  and  is  reached  by  a  very  narrow  and  crooked  street, 
crowded  with  merchants'  stalls.  This  approach  to  the  build- 
ing is  considerably  higher  than  the  ground  floor,  and  a  descent 
by  a  broad  flight  of  rude  stone  steps  brings  us  into  an  open 


112 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


paved  court.  This  court  appears  to  be  a  great  mart  of  mer- 
chandise in  "holy  "  things — a  sort  of  Christian  exchange,  where 
beads,  crucifixes,  and  relics  of  every  kind  are  spread  in  tempt- 
ing array  before  the  pilgrim  visitors.  As  you  enter  this  court, 
the  whole  front  elevation  of  the  massive  structure  is  before 
you.  The  work  is  heavy,  but  it  has  a  grand  and  imposing  as- 
pect. On  the  right  and  left  of  the  court  are  portions  of  the 
walls  of  the  Greek  convent,  which  is  built  in  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  church.  In  one  corner  rises  the  massive  bell 
tower,  an  imposing  pile  of  stone,  the  top  of  which  appears  to 
be  in  a  dilapidated  condition.  It  is  said  to  have  been  formerly 
five  stories  high,  but  is  now  reduced  to  three.  The  great  dou- 
ble doorway  is  surmounted  by  an  antique  looking  arch,  with 
deep  moldings  and  elaborate  carvings.  On  the  architraves  are 
richly  wrought  sculptures,  In  bold  relief,  representing  our 
Lord's  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem.  But  we  will  not  loiter 
upon  the  threshold.    Let  us  enter  and  examine  first 

THE   INTERIOR   OF    THE  CHURCH. 

One  of  the  first  things  that  arrests  our  attention,  is  a  guard 
of  twenty  to  thirty  Turkish  soldiers,  in  the  uniform  of  their 
country,  armed  with  guns  to  which  gleaming  bayonets  are 
fixed.  Some  of  them  stand  by  the  doorway,  and  you  pass  be- 
tween them  as  you  enter.  Others  are  loitering  here  and  there 
through  different  portions  of  the  great  structure.  Why  is 
this?  The  Turks  are  the  rulers  and  guardians  of  the  city,  and 
the  government  may  be  said  to  be  a  military  despotism.  Here 
are  thousands  of  Jews,  thousands  of  Christians,  and  thousands 
of  Mohammedans.  Among  them  are  a  great  variety  of  con- 
flicting opinions  and  interests.  Deeply  rooted  prejudices  and 
jealousies  are  constantly  sowing  seeds  of  uneasiness  and  dis- 
content, and  a  terrible  harvest  of  discord  and  contention  may 
at  any  moment  be  the  result.  The  reins  of  government  are 
held  with  a  tight  hand.  Turkish  soldiers  guard  the  gates,  a 
police  of  Turkish  soldiers  promenade  the  streets  by  night  and 
by  day,  and  Turkish  soldiers  gather  about  every  place  of  pub- 
lic resort,  and  strange  as  it  may  seem,  they  keep  the  keys  of 


CHUECH    OF    THE    HOLY    SEPULCHRE.  113 


this  Christian  church,  and  lock  the  doors  at  night  and  open 
them  in  the  morning. 

Think  also  of  the  great  variety  of  Christian  sects  that  here 
congregate — that  under  this  roof,  and  in  connection  with  this 
immense  pile  of  buildings,  have  their  chapels,  altars  and  para- , 
phernalia  of  worship.  One  portion  of  the  building  belongs  to 
the  Latins,  or  Roman  Catholic  Christians,  another  to  the 
Greeks,  another  to  the  Armenians.  Here,  too,  are  chapels  of 
the  Maronites,  Georgians,  Copts,  Jacobites,  Abyssinians,  and 
other  minor  sects.  While  these  all  have  separate  portions  of 
the  building  where  they  have  exclusive  rights,  some  of  what  are 
considered  the  more  holy  portions  of  the  structure  belong  in 
common  to  all,  and  they  have  to  arrange  among  themselves 
the  time  when  each  shall  be  allowed  to  perform  at  the  conse- 
crated shrines  their  peculiar  rites.  These  all  are  but  men — 
many  of  them  unsanctified  men — and  it  would  not  be  strange 
if  controversies  should  arise.  This  is  often  the  case,  and  at 
times  so  fierce  have  these  dissensions  raged,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  in  the  very  temple  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  and  on  the 
very  ground  sanctified  by  his  holy  blood,  these  contentions  have 
broken  out  into  fierce  and  unholy  strife,  and  these  soldiers  of  a 
foreign  religion  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  quelling 
bloody  feuds  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Connected  with  this 
church  are  a  great  variety  of 

LEGENDS   AND  SUPERSTITIONS. 

We  have  already  seen  that  this  church  was  originally  built 
as  a  monument  to  honor  the  place  of  the  Savior's  crucifixion 
and  burial.  During  the  long  period  of  the  dark  ages,  when 
blind  superstition  and  wild  fanaticism  seem  to  have  usurped  the 
throne  of  both  sound  reason  and  ardent  piety,  a  mania  for  holy 
relics  and  holy  places  pervaded  the  Christian  world.  The 
sharp  eyes  of  religious  devotees  discovered  and  connected  with 
this  memorable  locality  numerous  "holy  relics,"  and  "holy 
spots,"  some  of  them  of  so  foolish  and  puerile  a  character,  they 
could  only  provoke  the  mirth  and  awaken  the  contempt  of  the 
enlightened ;  some  of  them  of  a  more  grave  and  serious  char- 


114 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


acter,  that  seem  still  to  retain  a  firm  "hold  upon  the  more  cred- 
ulous and  superstitious. 

Among  the  former  of  these  may  be  mentioned  the  altar  of 
Melchisedek — the  place  where  Isaac  was  offered — the  place 
where  Adam  was  buried,  and  from  whence  his  skull  leaped  out 
at  the  time  of  the  crucifixion,  and  over  which  a  chapel  was 
built — the  sweating  pillar  to  which  Christ  was  bound  when  he 
was  scourged — the  pillar  that  casts  no  shadow  at  noon  of  the 
summer  solstice,  thus  indicating  that  it  is  in  the  very  center  of  the 
world — the  silver  cup  which  Christ  used  in  instituting  the  Eu- 
charist, and  the  sponge  the  soldiers  filled  with  vinegar  and  pre- 
sented to  him  on  the  cross,  both  of  which  one  ancient  pilgrim 
says  he  saw  and  kissed — the  spear  that  pierced  the  Savior's 
side — the  prison  of  the  Savior — the  spot  where  Mary  Magda- 
lene stood  during  the  crucifixion,  and  where  his  mother  and 
John  stood — the  place  where  Jesus  appeared  to  Mary  after  the 
resurrection — the  precise  place  where  the  soldiers  cast  lots  for 
the  Savior's  coat,  etc.,  etc.  What  a  list !  And  yet,  while  many 
have  made  a  serious  matter  of  these  things,  and  involved  the 
whole  body  connected  with  them  in  an  indiscriminate  charge 
of  fanaticism  or  hypocrisy,  of  superstition  and  delusion,  I  do 
not  suppose  that  any  but  the  most  ignorant  and  credulous  have 
ever  really  believed  in  them,  or  been  imposed  upon  by  them. 
Under  the  influence  of  an  increasing  intelligence,  this  list  of 
holy  wonders  has  been  dwindling  down ;  some  of  them  are  no 
longer  shown,  and  others  are  not  expected  to  be  believed,  unless 
by  the  most  stupid  and  over  credulous.  And  yet,  with  regard 
to  a  few  localities  in  this  sacred  pile,  it  may  be  said  they  have 
assumed  an  importance,  and  the  legends  and  stories  connected 
with  them  have  become  so  interwoven  with  the  traditions  and 
faith  of  some  of  these  Christian  sects,  they  may  be  worthy  of 
special  notice.    One  of  these  is 

THE    CHAPEL    OP    THE    INVENTION   OF    THE  CROSS. 

This  opens  from  the  main  body  of  the  church  into  a  rocky 
vault,  excavated  in  the  hill  side,  twenty  feet  across.  I  find  vari- 
ous versions  of  the  story,  and  many  strange  incidents  connected 
with  it,  but  the  substance  is  about  as  follows :    The  devoted 


DISCOVEET    OF    THE    CKOSS.  115 

Helena,  in  her  zeal  to  serve  the  cause  of  Christ,  came  to  Jeru- 
salem about  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  after  Christ, 
gathering  information  upon  all  points  connected  with  the  his- 
tory and  death  of  the  Savior.  Finding  a  belief  prevalent  that 
the  three  crosses  were  thrown  into  a  pit  close  by  the  place 
where  the  suffering  victims  expired,  she  caused  diligent  search 
to  be. instituted,  and  excavations  to  be  made  under  her  own  im- 
mediate supervision.  Her  zealous  efforts,  it  is  said,  were 
crowned  with  success.  In  this  very  pit,  which  now  constitutes 
the  "  Chapel  of  the  Invention,"  three  crosses  were  turned  up, 
and  with  them,  Pilate's  inscription,  placed  over  the  head  of 
Jesus.  Some  versions  of  the  story  also  assert  that  four  nails 
were  found,  supposed  to  be  the  identical  ones  upon  which  the 
Savior  hung.  What  became  of  two  of  these  nails  is  not  known. 
The  other  two  have  a  strange  history.  The  devoted  mother 
had  a  costly  crown  wrought  for  her  imperial  son  Constantine, 
portions  of  which,  more  honored  than  gold  and  diamonds,  were 
wrought  from  these  two  precious  nails !  Some  accounts  say 
that  the  Savior's  cross  was  distinguished  from  the  others  by  the 
inscription  of  Pilate,  found  in  immediate  connection  with  it; 
others,  that  it  was  detached,  and  it  could  not  be  determined  to 
which  it  belonged,  and  the  Savior's  cross  was  discovered  by  the 
following  strange  event:  A  lady  in  the  vicinity  was  danger- 
ously sick ;  the  crosses  were  brought  in  contact  with  her.  Two 
of  them  had  no  effect;  at  the  touch  of  the  third  one  she  rose 
immediately  from  her  bed  entirely  cured  !  The  miracle  was 
conclusive ;  the  wood  that  had  touched  her,  and  that  was  in- 
vested with  such  wonderful  power,  was  the  true  cross  I 

The  story  of  the  nails,  and  of  the  miracle,  and  some  other 
remarkable  things  connected  with  it,  appear  to  be  legendary 
embellishments,  to  be  received  or  rejected  at  one's  option  ;  but 
the  principal -fact  of  the  finding  of  the  cross  by  Helena,  is  gene- 
rally believed  among  Eastern  Christians.  I  conversed,  while  in 
Jerusalem,  with  an  intelligent  Catholic  priest  from  Ireland,  who 
believed  not  only  the  story  of  the  finding  of  the  cross,  but  also 
of  the  miracle  of  the  healing  of  the  sick  woman.  To  such 
ones — and  I  suppose  there  are  many  such — this  Chapel  of  the 
Invention  of  the  Cross  would  of  course  be  a  revered  and  sacred 


116 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


place.  This  chapel  belongs  to  the  Latins,  but  the  other  sects 
are  allowed  to  visit  it  and  worship  in  it.    Then  there  is 

THE    CHAPEL   OF  HELENA. 

This  is  a  costly  room,  and  decorated  at  great  expense.  It  is 
partly  hewn  in  the  rock,  and  is  one  of  the  most  striking  and 
picturesque  portions  of  the  great  church.  It  is  sixteen  feet 
below  the  level  of  the  rotunda  floor,  and  is  fifty-one  feet  by 
forty-three.  It  is  entered  by  a  narrow  doorway,  and  a  flight 
of  twenty-nine  steps,  partly  hewn  in  the  rock.  The  interior  is 
arranged  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  the  only  light  enter- 
ing through  a  cupola  in  the  roof.  The  cupola  and  roof  are 
supported  by  large,  thick,  dwarf-looking  columns,  with  huge 
capitals  of  ancient  Byzantine  form.  In  this  church  is  an  altar 
dedicated  to  St.  Dimas,  the  Penitent  Thief,  and  another  one  to 
St.  Helena.  The  entrance  to  the  Chapel  of  the  Invention  is 
from  the  south  side  of  this,  and  is  entered  by  a  descent  of 
twelve  steps,  hewn  in  the  solid  rock.  I  have  described  these 
two  chapels,  to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  various  depart- 
ments here  clustered  together,  that  make  up.the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre.  Here,  clustered  around  one  spot,  and  under 
one  great  mother  roof,  is  Mount  Calvary  and  the  Garden  ;  the 
Chapel  of  the  Sacrifice  of  Isaac;  Chapel  of  the  Altar  of  Mel- 
chisedek;  Chapel  of  St.  Helena;  Chapel  of  the  Invention; 
Chapel  of  the  Three  Crosses;  Chapel  of  the  Division  of  Gar- 
ments; Greek  Choir,  occupying  the  center  of  the  world;  the 
rooms  of  the  Latin  Convent;  Greek  Convent;  Chapel  of  the 
Maronites;  Chapel  of  the  Georgians;  Chapel  of  the  Copts; 
Chapel  of  the  Jacobites ;  Chapel  of  the  Abyssinians ;  Chapel 
and  rooms  of  the  Armenians,  and,  the  great  central  place  of 
attraction,  the  monstrous  rotunda  and  dome  covering  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  It  is,  indeed,  a  great  collection  of  churches  and 
chapels;  of  choirs,  naves,  vestrys  and  transepts;  of  shrines, 
altars  and  sanctuaries — the  great  Cathedral  of  the  Christian 
world — where  lights  are  always  burning,  incense  always  smok- 
ing, the  voice  of  chanting  and  praise  always  resounding.. 

But  we  came  here  to  witness  the  ceremonies  of  worship,  and 
to  visit  the  two  great  time-honored  localities  of  the  place,  the 


PALM  SUNDAY. 


117 


Cross  and  the  Sepulchre.  Having  taken  a  general  survey  of 
the  building,  let  us  attend  to  what  is  passing  around  us.  The 
great  rotunda  is  sixty-seven  feet  in  diameter.  The  dome  is 
supported  on  eighteen  massive  piers,  and  has  a  large  opening 
in  the  top,  through  which  a  flood  of  light  is  poured  upon  the 
interior.  We  said  it  was  Palm  Sunday — one  of  the  great  fes- 
tive clays  of  the  year.  It  is  the  commencement  of  passion 
week,  the  near  approach  of  Easter.  Pilgrims  are  now  assem- 
bling in  Jerusalem  from  all  parts  of  the  Christian  world.  See 
what  a  motley  crowd  are  here  gathered.  The  floor  of  the 
great  rotunda,  the  galleries  above,  the  aisles  and  transepts 
leading  away  to  the  different  chapels,  seem  one  living  mass  of 
human  beings.  Here  are  all  nationalities,  all  shades  of  com- 
plexion, all  forms  and  hues  of  dress.  In  the  midst  of  the, gener- 
al confusion,  each  is  permitted  to  speak  his  own  tongue,  to 
worship  in  his  own  way,  to  resort  to  the  shrine  that  best  ac- 
cords with  his  own  peculiar  religious  views.  Armed  soldiers 
move  about  among  the  multitude  to  preserve  order.  How 
changed  the  scene  from  eighteen  hundred  years  ago !  Then 
soldiers  stood  around  the  dying  Son  of  God,  to  aid  in  consum- 
mating the  murderous  deed ;  now,  around  this  same  spot  they 
gather  to  protect  those  who  would  do  him  homage.  Then  the 
multitude  cried  :  "  Away  with  him !  Crucify  him !  Crucify 
him ! ! "    low  they  sing  : 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name, 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall, 
Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem 
And  crown  Him — Lord  op  All." 

But  while  all  conspire  to  honor  Jesus,  who,  amid  this  uni- 
versal confusion,  this  clangor  of  human  voices,  and  jargon  of 
discordant  sounds,  can  maintain  a  devotional  spirit,  or  be  im- 
pressed with  the  solemnities  of  worship  ?  The  Greeks  had 
formed  a  long  procession,  encircling  the  whole  rotunda,  car- 
rying costly  and  curious  banners  of  various  devices,  represent- 
ing scripture  scenes.  A  large  company  of  boys  went  before, 
having  lighted  candles ;  the  dignitaries  of  the  church  wore  red 
silk  and  damask  robes,  profusely  trimmed  with  gold  lace.  Some 
carried  censors  smoking  with  incense ;  others  sprinkled  conse- 


118 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


crated  rose-water  upon  the  crowd ;  another  bore  an  immense 
cross  of  burnished  gold,  while  the  Patriarch,  arrayed  in  sump- 
tuous robes,  wore  upon  his  head  a  crown  studded  with  jewels, 
and  sparkling  with  diamonds,  richly  set  in  gold.  In  the  Latin 
department  of  the  church  was  an  equally  rich  display  of  costly 
robes  and  dazzling  banners,  while  the  whole  multitude  carried 
branches  of  palm,  waving  them  in  the  air  in  unison  with  their 
songs  of  triumph.  The  Greek  procession  commenced  a  solemn 
march  round  the  rotunda,  singing  in  a  peculiar  nasal  strain, 
destitute  alike  of  melody  and  devotion.  The  loud  peals  of  the 
Latin  organ  came  mingling  its  echoes  with  their  sharp,  drawl- 
ing, mouthing  strains.  The  Abyssinian  priest. beat  his  cym- 
bals ;  the  Armenian  uttered  his  prayer ;  the  Syrian  read  aloud 
his  Arabic  ritual ;  the  Coptic  friar  drawled  in  plaintive  tones  his 
devotions ;  lawless  spectators  walked  about,  gazing  and  talking; 
from  the  lofty  galleries  above,  and  the  deep  subterranean 
chapels  below,  there  seemed  to  issue  a  strange  jargon  of  con- 
fused and  unintelligible  sounds.  Such  was  the  scene  I  witness- 
ed upon  my  first  introduction  into  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  It  was  Palm  Sunday.  It  was  the  celebration  of 
Christ's  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem ;  one  of  the  great  fes- 
tivals of  the  church!  Was  it  devotion,  that,  like  holy  incense, 
could  rise  to  Heaven  ?  Was  it  music,  to  which  angels  could 
tune  their  harps  ?  Had  Jesus  sat  on  yonder  brow  of  Olivet,  as 
he  sat  on  the  day  the  procession  led  him  to  the  city,  would  he 
not  now,  as  then,  at  the  sight  of  a  system  of  worship  that  had 
lost  its  spirit  and  power,  have  wept  for  the  glory  departed  ? 

But  we  have  another  errand  here.  Forgetting  all  this  osten- 
tatious display,  closing  our  eyes  to  this  glittering  pageantry, 
let  us  seek  the  place  where  our  Savior  died,  and  give  ourselves 
up  to  the  emotions  such  a  place  is  calculated  to  awaken. 
Pushing  my  way  through  the  crowd,  I  reached  the  side  of  the 
rotunda,  and  ascended  a  flight  of  twenty-one  steps  upon  the 
side  of  Calvary  to 

THE   PLACE    OF   THE  CRUCIFIXION! 

We  often  hear  Calvary  spoken  of  as  a  mount.  It  is  not  so 
called  in  the  Bible,  neither  is  the  term  hill  there  applied  to  it. 


MOUNT  CALVAEY. 


119 


It  seems  to  have  been  upon  a  slight  elevation,  rather  upon  the 
side  of  a  hill.  How  high  the  elevation  was,  or  what  its  orig- 
inal shape,  it  seems  impossible  now  to  tell.  The  summit  and 
sides  of  the  elevation  have  been  graded  down,  and  the  depres- 
sions filled  up,  to  accommodate  the  surface  to  the  immense 
church  that  now  covers  it.  The  hill,  like  all  others  about 
Jerusalem,  is  a  mass  of  limestone  rock. 

Having  ascended  the  steps,  I  entered  a  low  vaulted  chamber, 
with  a  marble  floor.  It  belongs  to  the  Greeks,  and  is  deco- 
rated in  a  most  gaudy  style.  The  walls  are  adorned  with  pic- 
tures, massive  wax  candles  rise  from  their  stately  sockets,  and 
a  profusion  of  gold  and  silver  lamps  are  suspended  from  the 
ceiling.  It  is  the  Chapel  of  the  Crucifixion!  At  the  eastern  end 
is  a  platform,  ten  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide,  elevated  about 
eighteen  inches  above  the  floor.  On  this  platform  stands  a 
richly  decorated  altar;  under  it  is  a  round  hole  in  the  marble 
floor,  cased  with  silver ;  beneath  that  hole  is  the  reputed  spot 
upon  which  the  cross  of  Jesus  stood !  This  may  be  defining 
the  locality  too  definitely  to  suit  the  skeptical  visitor,  and  yet 
that  this  is  Calvary,  is  believed  by  a  large  portion  of  the 
Christian  world,  and  has  been  believed  from  the  days  of  the 
earliest  written  records  upon  the  subject,  and  those  records 
were  based  upon  the  current  faith  of  the  then  Christian  dwell- 
ers at  Jerusalem.  Why  need  I  attempt  to  disprove  it?  I 
might  wish  to  strip  it  of  these  artificial  appendages  and  adorn- 
ments— to  a  devout  worshiper,  they  add  nothing  to  its  at- 
tractions. But  I  will  close  my  eyes  to  all  these  gaudy  trap- 
pings of  human  genius  and  art,  and,  aided  by  the  visions  of 
a  holy  faith,  endeavor  to  see  it  as  those  saw  it  who  came  with 
the  blessed  Savior  to  witness  his  last  scene  of  earthly  agony 
and  torment.  0  Calvary  !  thou  art  least  of  all  the  sacred  hills 
that  cluster  about  the  City  of  God,  and  yet  thou  art  greatest 
of  them  all!  Thou  art  invested  with  a  moral  grandeur  and 
glory  that  belongs  to  no  other  spot.  Thou  hast  witnessed 
agony  such  as  even  Gethsemane  never  knew!  Thou  hast 
witnessed  a  power  that  rent  the  rocks,  opened  the  tombs, 
and  shook  even  yonder  mount  of  God,  rending  asunder  the 
consecrated  veil  that  concealed  the  Holy  of  Holies!  Over 


120 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


thee  gathered  an  appalling  darkness,  and  yet  from  thee  has 
gone  forth  a  radiance  that  is  kindling  earth  into  glory !  O 
Calvary !  what  a  scene  thou  didst  witness  when  darkness  gath- 
ered around  thee,  and  the  dying  Son  of  God  cried  out  in 
anguish  :  "  My  God  !  my  God  !  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me !  " 
And  yet,  what  lessons  thou  hast  taught  us — of  holy  resig- 
nation— of  calm  and  patient  suffering — of  forbearance  and 
forgiveness — of  love  for  the  disobedient  and  the  erring  when 
Jesus  hung  upon  thy  summit,  and  thou  didst  receive  thy  holy 
consecration  of  blood  !  O  Savior !  on  this  spot  what  indignities 
were  heaped  upon  thee !  When  was  ever  good  requited  with 
greater  evil,  or  love  with  keener  hatred  than  when  thine  ene- 
mies here  nailed  thee  to  the  cross  ?  Yet  as  the  heavens  gath- 
ered blackness,  and  the  darkness  of  injustice  and  oppression 
thickened  upon  thee,  it  only  served  to  add  lustre  to  the  halo 
of  thy  moral  glory,  like  the  evening  star,  shining  brighter  and 
brighter,  as  the  shades  of  night  deepen  upon  it ! 

THE    HOLY  SEPULCHRE 

Is  the  next  place  of  attraction.  John  says :  "  Now  in  the 
place  where  he  was  crucified  there  was  a  garden ;  and  in  the 
garden  a  new  sepulchre,  wherein  was  never  man  yet  laid. 
There  laid  they  Jesus,  therefore,  because  of  the  Jews'  prepara- 
tion day,  for  the  Sepulchre  was  nigh  at  hand."  (John  xix.  41, 
43.)  This  places  the  Sepulchre  in  close  connection  with  the 
Cross,  and  we  have  not  far  to  go.  Descending  the  flight  of 
steps  by  which  my  asceut  to  this  place  was  made,  and  which 
would  be  the  hill-side,  were  these  portions  of  the  building  torn 
away,  I  was  once  more  in  the  great  rotunda.  It  was  for  the 
Sepulchre  this  great  rotunda  was  built,  and  beneath  the  center 
of  that  spacious  dome  is  the  consecrated  place.  Much  would  I 
preferred  to  have  seen  it  in  the  unadorned  simplicity  of  the 
morning  of  the  resurrection.  From  the  very  depths  of  my 
heart  I  could  say : 

"  O !  for  that  garden  in  its  simple  guise, 
Where  she,  the  earliest  of  His  mourners  came — 
Came  ere  the  stars  of  Syrians  cloudless  skies 
Grew  pale  before  their  morning  burst  of  flame." 


THE    TOMB    OF  JESUS. 


121 


But  we  have  to  visit  these  places  as  they  are,  not  as  we 
would  have  them.  And  why  should  we  vex  and  fret  ourselves, 
because  worldly  pride,  and  love  of  ostentatious  show,  or  even 
bigotry  and  superstition,  may  have  spent  their  misguided  zeal 
upon  them,  and  gathered  foolish  relics  and  legends  about  them  ? 
Should  they  hinder  the  warm  adoration  of  the  pious  heart  ? 
Do  they  detract  aught  from  the  conclusiveness  of  the  evidences 
that  define  and  establish  the  locality?  Supposing  the  Christian 
traveler,  on  his  arrival  at  Jerusalem,  inquiring  for  the  place 
where  Jesus  was  entombed,  should  be  shown  a  rocky  recess  in 
some  out-of-the-way,  secluded  place,  ruined  and  neglected,  sel- 
dom visited  by  the  foot  of  man.  What  would  he  think? 
"Who,"  he  would  say,  "has  kept  the  history  of  this  place? 
In  my  own  land  the  tombs  of  the  common  dead  are  better  kept 
and  cared  for,  and  for  our  honored  ones  we  build  mausoleums, 
and  rear  up  monuments.  If  this  is  the  place  where  He,  the 
conquering  son  of  God,  was  laid,  why  is  it  thus  deserted  and 
neglected?"  Would  not  the  very  fact  of  such  neglect  and  ob- 
scurity do  more  to  shake  his  faith  in  the  certainty  of  the  local- 
ity, than  all  the  superstitions  and  legends  that  cluster  about 
this  place  could  ever  do?  True,  the  devout  worshiper,  in  com- 
ing to  Calvary  as  it  is,  would  not 

"  Miss  the  gold  encrusted  shrine, 
Or  incense  fume's  intoxicating  spell." 

To  him  the  wandering  breezes  of  heaven  might  bring  music 
richer  than  the  organ's  notes,  and  the  palm-trees'  shade  be  more 
welcome  than  yonder  lofty  dome;  but  the  "proud  shafts  of 
Helena's  Colonade"  need  not  disturb  us,  or  render  unaccept- 
able to  God  the  incense  of  a  grateful  and  adoring  heart. 

THE    SEPULCHRE   AS   IT    NOW  IS. 

Though  the  Sepulchre  was  originally  a  grotto  cut  in  the 
rock,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Jewish  tombs,  the  visitor  is  sur-  ' 
prised  to  find  it  not  only  detached  from  the  hill-side,  and  all 
above  ground,  but  elevated  a  step  or  two  from  the  level  of  the 
floor.  The  necessary  changes  that  were  made  in  the  level  of 
the  ground  to  accommodate  the  church,  accounts  for  this.  The 


122 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


earth  and  rock  around  the  Sepulchre  have  been  cut  away,  and 
what  was  probably  once  a  cave  in  the  hill-side,  now  looks  like 
a  small  room  or  closet  above  ground.  .  ~Nor  is  this  all;  the  hand 
of  art  has  still  more  transformed  it.  This  rock-hewn  cave, 
standing  as  it  does  in  the  center  of  the  great  rotunda,  and  direct- 
ly under  the  eye  of  the  monstrous  dome,  is  all  covered  over  by  a 
small  building  of  yellow  and  white  marble,  twenty-six  feet  long 
and  eighteen  feet  broad ;  a  dome  in  the  form  of  a  crown  sur- 
m  mounting  the  top.  This  house  of  the  Sepulchre  is  profusely 
ornamented;  the  whole  exterior  nearly  covered  with  pictures, 
crucifixes  and  images,  and  hung  round  with  gold  and  silver 
lamps,  while  standing  by  its  side  are  several  monstrous  wax 
candles,  nearly  as  large  as  a  man's  body,  and  eight  or  ten  feet 
high. 

I  passed  through  a  low,  narrow  opening  in  the  wall,  only 
large  enough  to  admit  one  person  at  a  time,  into  a  small  cham- 
ber, ten  or  twelve  feet  square.  This  was  the  outer  room  or  ves- 
tibule of  the  tomb,  and  is  now  called  the  "  Chapel  of  the  An- 
gel," from  the  supposition  it  was  here  the  angel  sat  after  hav-' 
ing  rolled  away  the  stone.  At  the  western  side  of  this  room 
was  a  low,  narrow  door,  the  opening  to  the  tomb  itself.  Like 
Peter  of  old,  I  first  stooped  down  and  looked  in ;  then  bending 
nearly  to  the  ground,  and  crowding  through  the  opening,  I 
was  in  the  Holy  Sepulchre !  It  is  a  small  room,  six  feet  one 
way  and  seven  feet  the  other,  and  has  a  dome  roof,  supported 
by  marble  pillars.  Though  this  vault  is  said  to  be  hewn  in  the 
rock,  not  a  vestige  of  the  native  rock  is  to  be  seen.  The  floor, 
walls  and  ceiling  are  all  lined  with  white  polished  marble. 
Forty-two  lamps -of  gold  and  silver,  richly  wrought,  are  sus- 
pended about  this  little  grotto,  kept  continually  burning,  fill- 
ing the  place  with  a  flood  of  mellow  light,  while  much  of  the 
time  the  sweet  fragrance  of  smoking  incense  fills  the  air.  But 
what  were  all  these  things  to  me  ?  Where  was  the  place  they 
laid  him  ?  A  little  couch  or  elevation  of  stone,  about  two  feet 
high,  runs  along  the  right  side  of  the  tomb  as  you  enter,  now 
covered  by  a  plain  marble  slab.  As  this  was  intended  for  the 
reception  of  the  dead,  on  it,  no  doubt,  the  body  of  the  en- 
tombed Savior  was  laid!    What  pen  can  describe  the  deep 


THE    HOLY  SEPULCHRE. 


123 


emotions  that  trembled  in  the  heart,  and  suffused  the  eye  as  I 
gazed  upon  the  spot?  Falling  upon  my  knees,  I  leaned  my 
head  upon  tne  marble  covering,  and  poured  out  my  soul  in 
grateful  adoration  to  God.  I  had  promised  my  people  I  would 
remember  them  and  pray  for  them  when  I  stood  on  Sinai,  and 
when  I  bowed  by  the  tomb  in  the  garden.  Amid  the  sub- 
lime grandeurs  of  that  mountain-top  I  had  stood,  and  there  I 
had  redeemed  my  pledge,  and  now  that  I  had  reached  this  hal- 
lowed spot,  I  was  not  unmindful  of  my  vow. 

My  visit  was  brief.  A  throng  of  pilgrims  was  coming  and 
going,  crowding  the  little  sanctuary,  and  jostling  against  me. 
But  1  heeded  them  not.  How  much  of  the  past — of  the  fu- 
ture— was  crowded  into  the  reflections  of  that  short  season  of 
communion  with  the  Son  of  God,  as  I  bowed  my  head  upon  his 
tomb !  I  saw  his  mangled,  bleeding  form  taken  from  the  cross 
on  yonder  hill-side,  and  borne  by  his  afflicted  disciples  to  this 
lone  receptacle  of  the  dead.  I  saw  the  ponderous  stone  rolled 
to  the  door.  I  heard  the  tread  of  the  watchful  sentinels  as 
they  paced  to  and  fro.  What  a  weary  and  sorrowful  Sabbath 
was  that  to  the  heart-broken  and  disconsolate  disciples!  "With 
anxious  hearts,  the  weeping  Marys  watched  the  approaching 
dawn,  that  they  might  come  and  embalm  the  body  of  their  be- 
loved Lord.  But  while  night  lay  upon  Olivet  and  Gethsemane, 
and  sleep  had  hushed  to  silence  the  tumultuous  city,  this  lone 
sepulchre  of  the  dead  was  the  last  great  battle-field  of  the  con- 
quering Son  of  God.  Here  he  grappled  with  death,  the  last 
enemy  of  man,  in  his  own  dark  dominions.  The  last  stern  con- 
test  was  over;  the  victory  was  won;  death  was  vanquished,  and 
the  prey  wrested  from  his  grasp.  The  victorious  conqueror 
came  thundering  at  the  door  of  the  tomb.  An  angel  from  the 
courts  of  glory  answered  the  summons.  A  greater  than  Pilate 
broke  the  seal,  and  rolled  back  the  massive  stone.  The  trem- 
bling, terrified  keepers  fell  senseless  to  the  earth.  Who  is  this 
that  comes  forth  from  the  contest,  majestic  in  mien,  glorious  in 
apparel,  his  arm  vested  with  the  power  of  Omnipotence,  and  his 
eye  kindled  with  the  glory  of  Heaven  ?  It  is  thy  God,  0  Is- 
rael !  It  is  thy  Savior,  0  Christian !  The  great  question  has 
been  settled ;  life  and  immortality  brought  to  light !    A  great 


124 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


highway  has  been  opened  from  the  portals  of  the  grave  be- 
neath, to  the  everlasting  gates  of  glory  on  high. 

I 

11  Lo,  see  on  death's  bewildering  wave 

The  rainbow  Hope  arise, 
A  bridge  of  glory  o'er  the  grave, 

That  bends  beyond  the  skies." 

uO  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  0  grave,  where  is  thy  victo- 
ry ?  Thanks  be  to  God  who  giveth  us  the  victory,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

My  visit  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre  was  ended,  I  arose  from  my 
knees,  and  leaving  the  marks  of  my  tears  upon  the  marble 
slab,  I  slowly  and  reluctantly  turned  away,  but  not  as  the  be- 
reft and  sorrowing  one,  who  leaves  behind  the  moldering  dust 
of  beloved  kindred  or  friend.  I  left  behind  me,  0  rapturous 
thought !  an  empty  tomb.  I  heard  the  soft  rustle  of  an  angel's 
wing,  and  a  voice  of  unearthly  sweetness  whispered  in  my  ear: 
"He  is  not  here;  he  has  risen;"  and  I  turned  and  looked  up- 
ward and  fancied,  like  Stephen  of  old,  I  saw  heaven  opened, 
aud  this  same  Jesus  arrayed  in  the  glory  of  Paradise,  sitting  at 
the  right  hand  of  God.  I  passed  out  of  the  church,  leaving  the 
heterogeneous  mass  of  worshipers  and  loiterers  behind  me,  for 
I  cared  but  little  for  their  pompous  ceremonials. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  in  attending  worship  with  the  few 
Americans  in  the  city,  at  the  rooms  of  the  American  Consul 
on  Mount  Zion.  Rev.  Mr.  Newman,  of  New  York  City, 
preached.  Little  did  the  minstrel  monarch  of  Israel  think, 
when  he  tuned  his  harp  to  the  inspiration  of  Zion's  songs,  that 
when  three  thousand  years  had  rolled  awa^,  strangers  from  a 
then  far  off  and  unknown  land,  would  assemble  over  the  very 
ruins  of  his  entombed  palace,  and  sing  those  same  songs  to  the 
praise  of  David's  Lord  and  David's  Son.  The  twilight  hour 
was  spent  in  wandering  about  Zion,  telling  her  towers,  marking 
her  bulwarks,  and  musing  upon  her  glory  departed. 

March  25th.  We  have  now  an  interesting  week  to  spend  in 
Jerusalem.  With  the  Jews  it  is  the  anniversary  of  the  Pass- 
over; with  the  Christians,  of  the  betrayal  and  crucifixion  of  the 
Son  of  Man.  It  is  the  week  in  which  multitudes  of  pilgrims 
throng  the  city,  crowd  around  the  "  Holy  Places,"  and  gather 


SIGHTS    IN  JEKUSALEM. 


125 


in  crowds  at  their  great  central  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
We  shall  have  some  interesting  walks  about  Zion.  Mr.  Staf- 
ford, the  Irish  monk  before  spoken  of,  has  consented  to  accom- 
pany us  in  the  walk  to  Gethsemane,  Olivet  and  Bethany.  At 
the  appointed  time  we  passed  down  the  Via  Dolorosa,  past  the 
Pasha's  Palace,  which  is  supposed  to  occupy  the  site  where 
formerly  stood  the  house  of  Pilate.  Near  the  Temple  area  we 
turned  a  little  to  the  right  to  view  the  ruins  of  an  old  pool, 
(plan  of  the  city,  No.  15,)  now  known  as  the 

POOL   OP  BETHESDA. 

It  is  also  called  the  Sheep  Pool.  The  Apostle  J ohn  says : 
"Now  there  is  at  Jerusalem  by  the  sheep-market  a  pool,  which 
is  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Bethesda,  having  five  porches." 
Here,  we  are  informed,  lay  a  great  multitude  of  diseased  people, 
one  of  whom  Jesus  miraculously  healed.  This  pool  tradition 
now  makes  the  scene  of  this  interesting  incident  of  the  life  of 
the  Savior.  There  is,  however,  no  very  reliable  evidence  con- 
necting it  with  that  event.  It  is  a  great  reservoir,  the  main 
body  of  which  is  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  and  one 
hundred  and  thirty- one  feet  broad ;  another  portion  of  it,  for- 
ty-five feet  broad,  is  continued  one  hundred  and  forty  feet 
further.  The  walls  are  built  of  stone,  and  were  originally 
strongly  cemented.  The  cement  is  now  broken  off  in  many 
places,  the  walls  fallen  in,  and  portions  of  it  filled  with  dirt. 
No  pains  have  been  taken  to  preserve  it,  and  at  the  present  rate 
of  decay  and  the  rapid  accumulation  of  rubbish,  it  will  soon  be 
added  to  the  entombed  remnants  of  the  ancient  city.  It  was 
once  a  noble  and  costly  piece  of  art,  and  was  probably  sup- 
plied with  water  from  some  of  the  subterranean  aqueducts  of 
the  city. 

DISCOVERT   OP   AN   ANCIENT  AQUEDUCT. 

Regaining  our  roacf,  we  turned  again  to  our  left,  to  where  the 
Christians  are  digging  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  new  monas- 
tery. Considerable  interest  had  just  been  excited  by  the  dis- 
covery, some  distance  below  the  surface,  of  an  ancient  aqueduct, 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation.    It  was  a  noble  piece  of  work, 


12(3 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


built  with  great  care  and  skill.  The  walls  were  of  stone,  and 
arched  over  head  high  enough  for  a  man  to  walk  erect;  along 
the  bottom  on  one  side  was  a  cemented  channel  for  the  water, 
about  eighteen  inches  deep  and  as  many  broad ;  on  the  other 
was  a  raised  pathway,  along  which  a  man  could  walk  in  a 
stooping  position,  without  at  all  coming  in  contact  with  the 
water.  The  whole  was  smoothly  cemented,  and  the  cement 
appeared  as  hard  and  perfect  as  when  first  put  on.  It  led  off 
in  the  direction  of  the  Temple  area.  Who  built  it?  It  is  as 
old,  perhaps,  as  the  days  of  Solomon.  A  current  of  water  was 
still  flowing  along  this  subterranean  channel,  and  I  could  not 
but  think  these  might,  perhaps,  be  a  portion  of  the  very  waters 
that  aided  in  supplying  the  reservoirs  beneath  the  ancient  tem- 
ple, and  perhaps  still  connected  with  the  ebb  and  flow  of  those 
mysterious  pools  we  have  been  visiting  in  the  valley  below. 
Certain  it  is,  no  city  in  the  world  ever  had  such  bountiful  and 
perfect  water  arrangements  as  ancient  Jerusalem.  In  all  the 
sieges  to  which  it  was  subjected,  when  famine  did  its  horrid 
work  of  death,  the  inhabitants  seemed  always  to  have  a  full 
supply  of  water.  Even  when  the  besiegers  without  the  walls 
perished  of  thirst,  there  was  no  lack  in  the  city.  Some  of 
these  supplies  were  probably  from  living  fountains  beneath  the 
city ;  some  of  them  may  have  been  brought  from  abroad,  but 
so  adroitly  concealed  as  to  baffle  all  the  search  of  the  enemy  to 
discover  them.  Here,  no  doubt,  as  we  have  seen  before,  is  the 
origin  of  many  of  those  beautiful  figures  and  allusions,  in 
which  the  sustaining  presence  of  God  is  represented  under  the 
idea  of  waters — of  living  waters,  of  hidden  water,  of  drawing 
waters  from  the  wells  of  salvation — of  Ezekiel's  wonderful 
stream,  of  John's  vision  of  the  river  of  the  water  of  life,  clear 
as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb — • 
the  waters  of  which  we  sing : 

"  There  is  a  stream  whose  gentle  %w 

Supplies  the  city  of  our  God 
Light,  life,  and  love  still  gliding  through, 
And  watering  our  divine  abode." 


INTERESING  LOCALITIES. 


127 


Passing  on,  we  left  the  city  by  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  No.  3. 
We  had  passed  but  a  few  rods  beyond  the  gate  when  our  cice- 
rone suddenly  stopped  us,  and  pointing  to  a  little  rise  of  ground 
close  upon  our  left:  " There"  said  he,  "is  the  place  where  we 
suppose 

STEPHEN   WAS  STONED." 

It  had  not  occurred  to  me  that  the  name  of  the  gate  had  any 
connection  with  that  memorable  event  that  sealed  the  fate  of 
the  first  great  Christian  martyr  to  the  faith  of  J esus.  As  dif- 
ficult as  it  must  be  to  identify  the  spot,  my  interest  was  awak- 
ened at  the  bare  mention  of  the  place.  I  ascended  the  little 
hillock,  paused  upon  the  spot,  and  at  once  imagination  formed 
her  tableau  of  the  thrilling  scene — the  infuriated  rabble ;  the 
murderous  blows  of  stone  after  stone ;  Saul  holding  the  gar- 
ments of  the  persecutors,  and  consenting  to  his  death ;  the  dy- 
ing man  on  the  one  hand  praying  for  his  murderers,  on  the 
other,  catching  visions  of  his  glorified  Savior.  Is  it  possible,  I 
said  to  myself,  I  am  so  near  the  scene  of  these  wonderful 
events;  perhaps  standing  upon  the  very  ground  that  was 
stained  by  his  blood ! 

From  this  point  we  made  a  rapid  descent  into  the  Valley  of 
Jehoshaphat.  A  bridge  some  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high  is 
here  built  over  the  bed  of  the  Kidron.  Crossing  this,  one  of 
the  first  objects  to  which  our  attention  was  called,  was  the 

TOMB   AND    CHAPEL   OP    THE  VIRGIN. 

Here  is  the  reputed  Tomb  of  tjae  Virgin  Mary,  and  over  it  a 
church  has  been  built.  It  is  an  antique  looking  structure,  and 
time  has  left  upon  its  venerable  stones  the  deep  lines  of  age. 
Situated  in  the  deep,  narrow  valley,  and  imbedded  in  the  brow 
of  Olivet,  the  deposits  of  the  valley  and  hill-sides  have  accumu- 
lated around  it,  until  it  has  become  almost  a  subterranean  chapel. 
First  we  descended  by  a  short  flight  of  steps  into  a  broad 
paved  court.  Here  a  spacious  arched  doorway  stood  before  us. 
We  found  the  door  opened,  as  if  inviting  entrance.  We  made 
a  long  descent  of  sixty  stone  steps,  and  found  ourselves  iif  a 
spacious,  gloomy  looking  chapel,  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  exca- 


128 


THE   HOLY  LAND. 


vated  in  the  rocky  hill- side.  On  the  left  of  these  stairs  is 
shown  the  tomb  of  Joseph,  the  husband  of  Mary.  The  chapel 
is  decorated  in  the  most  gaudy  manner.  The  rudely-drawn, 
high-colored  pictures  of  the  Greeks  adorn  the  walls,  bunches 
of  flowers  and  great  clusters  of  ostrich  eggs  were  hanging 
here  and  there,  while  a  multitude  of  dazzling  lamps  of  gold 
and  silver  were  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  Of  these  lamps  I 
counted  more  than  sixty  in  the  main  room,  aside  from  those 
that  hung  in  the  niches  and  recesses  that  opened  from  the 
sides.  The  solemnity  and  gloom  of  the  place  was  increased  by 
M  the  light  of  these  lamps,  reflected  through  glass  shades  of  va- 
rious hues. 

But  where  is  the  Tomb  of  the  Virgin?  Pass  over  to  the 
eastern  side  of  the  grotto,  into  its  deepest  extremity;  there  you 
will  see  a  little  separate  chapel,  and  in  its  gloomy  shade  an  al- 
tar, the  whole  more  profusely  decorated  than  any  other  portion 
of  the  room.  That  altar  stands  connected  with  a  tomb;  that 
tomb,  "  they  say,"  is  the  place  where  the  body  of  the  mother 
of  our  Lord  was  laid!  To  this  I  could  see  no  objection,  for 
that  she  died  and  was  buried  any  one  could  safely  assert.  But 
remembering  that  my  Franciscan  friend  was  one  of  those  who 
offer  prayers  to  the  Virgin,  as  actually  standing  by  her  son  in 
heaven,  I  was  puzzled  to  know  how  to  understand  the  matter, 
and  took  the  first  opportunity  to  ask  an  explanation  :  44  You 
say  this  was  the  place  where  the  Virgin  was  buried ;  in  what 
sense  do  you  understand  her  to  be  in  heaven?  " In  body,  of 
course;  like  our  Lord,  she  was  not  left  to  see  corruption." 
"But  how;  was  it  a  resurrection  and  ascension  like  our  Lord?" 
"No,  she  was  assumed  into  heaven."  "  Assumed!  How?" 
"  Her  body  was  taken  up  entire,  by  Divine  power,  and  received, 
without  undergoing  any  change,  into  heaven."  "Is  there  any 
evidence,"  said  I,  "of  so  wonderful  a  miracle ? "  "The  tradi- 
tions of  the  church,"  he  replied,  "  and  the  fact  that  in  the  as- 
cent she  dropped  her  girdle,  which  was  seen  and  picked  up  by 
Thomas,  and  preserved  as  a  memorial  of  the  event ! "  I  pre- 
sume he  believed  the  strange  chronicle,  but  as  I  found  nothing 
of'it  in  the  Book,  I  remained  more  than  skeptical.  We  passed 
out  of  the  church,  ascended  a  part  way  up  the  long  flight  of 


SACRED    LOCALITIES.  129 

steps,  when  he  called  us  aside,  drew  a  large  iron  key  from  his 
pocket,  and  applied  it  to  the  lock  of  a  strong  iron  door  in  the 
hill-side;  it  swung  back  upon  its  rusty,  creaking  hinges,  and  we 
stood  within  another  large  cavern,  wholly  excavated  from  the 
rock.    This,  he  says,  is 

THE    GROTTO   OP   THE  AGONY. 

This  spot  I  found  was  exclusively  the  property  of  the  Latins. 
The  Franciscans  keep  the  key,  and  our  friend  had  brought  it 
along  on  purpose  that  he  might  introduce  us  to  this  "holy 
place."  It  was  a  large,  low  cavern,  of  irregular  shape,  chiseled 
in  the  solid  rock,  full  sixty  feet  across,  the  low,  rocky  roof  sup- 
ported here  and  there  by  columns  of  the  native  rock  left  for 
this  purpose  when  the  excavation  was  made.  It  is  a  singular 
looking,  cave,  and  has  a  low  ledge  of  rock  running  around  a 
large  portion  of  the  sides,  as  if  intended  for  seats.  Here,  also, 
is  an  altar,  lamps,  candles  and  pictures.  This  altar  is  said  to 
mark  the  spot  to  which  the  Savior  retired,  where  he  prayed, 
and  where  he  endured  his  last  agonizing  struggle  before  he  was 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  That  this  spot  is  upon 
the  borders  or  within  the  precincts  of  Gethsemane,  seems  quite 
certain ;  that  the  Savior  went  into  a  grotto,  or  that  it  was  on 
this  immediate  spot  that  he  endured  that  agonizing  struggle, 
must  be  a  matter  of  mere  conjecture.  We  emerged  from  the 
grotto,  ascended  the  steps,  and  stood  again  in  the  open  com- 
mon.   Here,  undoubtedly,  was 

THE    GARDEN    OF  GETHSEMANE. 

Of  all  the  localities  about  Jerusalem,  aside  from  Calvary, 
there  is  none  that  stirs  the  Christian  heart  with  such  a  thrill  of 
emotion  as  Gethsemane.  It  is  fortunate,  too,  that  its  locality 
is  so  plainly  indicated  by  the  scripture  narrative,  and  by  the 
nature  of  the  ground,  as  to  leave  little  doubt  in  the  mind  of  the 
visitor  that  he  has  found  the  place.  Jesus  went  forth  with  his 
disciples  over  the  brook  Kidron  to  a  garden,  where  he  oftimes 
resorted  with  his  disciples.  There  is  here,  on  the  east  of  the 
Kidron,  and  close  under  the  brow  of  Olivet,  a  large,  open 
space  of  ground,  reaching  along  up  the  valley  to  the  north- 


130 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


ward,  still  covered  with  grass  and  shaded  with  olive  trees. 
The  very  nature  of  the  ground,  and  its  proximity  to  the  city, 
would  point  it  out  at  once  as  a  suitable  place  for  a  park  or 
public  gardens.  It  was  probably  a  common  place  of  resort  for 
pleasure  and  recreation,  for  meditation  and  worship.  It  was  to 
some  quiet,  shady  retreat  in  this  spot  of  ground,  Jesus  was  ac- 
customed to  resort  with  his  disciples ;  here  many  a  precious  in- 
terview they  enjoyed  together;  here  the  Savior  came  the  even- 
ing before  his  crucifixion ;  here  he  spent  that  hour  of  keen  suf- 
fering and  awful  agony,  when  the  cup  of  wo  was  presented  to 
his  lips,  and  his  sweat  was,  as  it  were,  great  drops  of  blood  fall- 
ing down  to  the  ground. 

THE    INCLOSED  GARDEN. 

Just  as  you  cross  the  Kidron,  and  commence  the  ascent  of 
the  path  that  leads  up  the  Mount  of  Olives,  you  see  upon  your 
right  a  small  patch  of  ground,  covering,  perhaps," near  half  an 
acre,  inclosed  with  a  strong  stone  wall,  eight  or  ten  feet  high. 
It  is  deeply  shaded  by  eight  venerable  old  olive  trees,  and 
planted  with  beds  of  flowers,  and  various  kinds  of  shrubbery. 
This  beautiful  and  carefully  guarded  spot  is  in  the  keeping  of 
the  Franciscan  monks,  and  is  the  place  usually  pointed  out 
and  described,  in  the  books  of  travelers,  as  the  "  Garden  of 
Gethsemane,"  and  some  surprise  has  often  been  expressed  that 
these  religious  guardians  should  have  been  able  to  locate  with 
such  accuracy  the  precise  spot  of  the  garden.  I  asked  my  kind 
attendant  for  a  solution  of  the  query.  He  replied  :  "  We  do 
not  pretend  to  say  this  is  the  garden  any  more  than  other  por- 
tions of  ground  that  lie  in  this  immediate  vicinity.  The 
garden  was  here,  and  there,  and  all  about  this  locality.  You 
see  these  great  old  olive  trees.  "We  built  this  wall  to  protect 
them;  and  had  it  not  been  for  our  care,  such  is  the  zeal  of 
pilgrims  to  carry  away  some  little  keepsake  from  this  hallowed 
ground,  they  would  long  ago  have  torn  these  trees  to  pieces, 
and  not  a  vestige  of  them  would  now  have  been  left."  The 
explanation  was  certainly  reasonable  and  satisfactory,  and  I 
put  it  on  record  to  refute  the  allegation  I  find  in  some  of  the 
books,  charging  these  persons  with  so  definitely  locating  the 


A  Street  in  Jerusalem. 


GARDEN    OP  GETHSEMANE. 


133 


garden  as  to  throw  suspicion  upon  its  identity.  "  How  old," 
said  I,  "are  these  olive  trees?"  "They  are  known  to  be 
nearly  a  thousand  years  old,"  said  he.  "  Some,"  he  continu- 
ed, "have  supposed  them  to  be  the  very  ones  under  which  the 
Savior  sat,  but  I  do  not  think  that  can  be.  The  olive,  however, 
very  often  perpetuates  itself  by  sending  up  fresh  shoots 
from  the  roots  of  the  old  decaying  tree ;  in  that  case,  the  roots 
of  these  may  be  more  ancient,  and  these  trees  may  have  sprung 
up  from  the  very  ones  that  sheltered  Jesus  and  his  disciples." 
It  was  an  interesting  thought,  that  these  time- honored  trees 
linked  us  so  closely  with  the  days  of  the  Savior,  and  the 
thrilling  events  of  the  agony  and  betrayal.  There  is  a  small 
house  in  the  inclosure,  where  one  of  the  monks  usually  lodges. 
We  wandered  some  time  among  the  shrubbery,  plucked  some 
of  the  flowers  for  our  specimen  book,  and  what  was  still  more 
acceptable,  before  we  left  the  convent,  one  of  the  monks 
presented  us  a  rosary,  made  from  fifty  of  the  stones  or  pits 
of  the  olives  that  grew  upon  these  same  old  trees.  We  ac- 
cepted the  string  with  many  thanks,  not  because  it  was  a  ros- 
ary, but  for  its  associations  with  the  hallowed  ground  that  had 
witnessed  the  agony,  and  been  watered  with  the  tears  of  the 
Savior  of  men. 

Although  our  guide  had  so  fairly  explained  the  reason  for 
inclosing  this  spot,  there  were  other  localities,  with  regard  to 
which  we  could  not  but  confess  our  skepticism.  "Here," 
said  he,  as  we  passed  a  certain  place,  "is  where  the  disciples 
slept  while  Jesus  prayed."  Passing  another  place:  "There, 
where  you  see  that  little  inclosure,  is  where  Jesus  taught  his 
disciples  how  to  pray."  I  observed,  leading  from  the  corner  of 
the  inclosed  garden,  a  narrow  path,  much  worn,  and  walled  in 
on  each  side,  terminating  abruptly  at  a  large  rock.  People 
were  constantly  going  up  the  path,  falling  down  on  their  knees, 
and  kissing  the  rock.  "  What  place  is  that  ?  "  said  I.  "  By  that 
rock,"  he  replied,  "Jesus  stood  when  Judas  gave  him  the 
treacherous  kiss."  "  How,"  said  I  again,  "  do  you  know  these 
localities?"  "We  do  not  know,"  he  replied ;  "  we  have  only 
tradition ;  these  traditions  have  been  handed  down  to  us,  and 
we  receive  them  as  the  best  information  we  have  on  the  sub- 


134 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


ject."  The  degree  of  faith  in  these  traditions  no  doubt  varies 
very  much  with  different  persons ;  no  one  is  required  to  believe 
them.  They  serve,  however,  to  remind  one  of  the  leading 
events  of  that  gloomy  night  that  made  Jesus  a  captive  in  the 
hands  of  his  enemies. 

THE   ASCENT    OF  OLIVET. 

Leaving  the  garden,  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives.  This  mountain  lies  directly  east  of  the  city,  from 
which  it  is  separated  by  the  deep  valley  of  Jehoshaphat.  Its 
hight  above  this  valley  varies  from  five  hundred  to  seven  hun- 
dred feet.  It  is  a  little  more  than  one  hundred  feet  higher  than 
Mount  Zion,  and  near  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  higher  than 
the  Temple  area  on  Mount  Moriah,  so  that  it  overlooks  the 
whole  of  the  city.  The  Arabs  call  it  Jebel  et  Tur.  The  sum- 
mit directly  east  of  the  city  is  the  traditional  place  of  the 
ascension  of  Christ.  It  slopes  down  beautifully  toward  the 
valley  of  Jehoshaphat  on  the  west,  and  again  toward  Bethany 
on  the  east.  Viewed  from  Zion,  it  has  a  most  beautiful  and 
graceful  outline,  and  is  one  of  the  most  commanding  objects 
about  Jerusalem.  This  hill,  once  so  beautifully  covered  with 
gardens  and  olive  orchards,  now  presents  the  same  desolate 
aspect  that  forms  so  prominent  a  characteristic  of  Jerusalem 
scenery.  Of  the  palm  trees  of  the  valley,  not  a  single  one  is 
left,  and  the  two  gigantic  cedars  that  once  stood  near  its  sum- 
mit have  disappeared.  Only  a  few  scattering  olive  trees  are 
seen  upon  its  sides,  and  an  occasional  fig  tree  takes  root  in  its 
scanty  soil.  Great  bowlders  of  variegated  flint  are  scattered 
about  in  every  direction,  while  here  and  there  a  little  patch  of 
ground,  inclosed  by  a  frail  and  tottering  wall  of  stone,  is  sown 
to  barley. 

There  are  three  paths  leading  from  Jerusalem  over  Olivet. 
One  is  a  foot-path,  leading  directly  up  the  mountain  side ; 
another,  and  easier  one,  the  common  road  for  beasts  of  burden, 
leads  around  the  southern  brow  of  the  mount ;  while  still 
another,  but  much  less  used,  winds  around  the  northern  slope. 
As  we  ascended,  I  stopped  on  the  way  to  gather  some  portions 
of  a  low,  thorny  bush,  from  which  many  suppose  the  mock 


MOUNT    OF  OLIVES. 


135 


crown  of  the  Savior  was  made.  The  monks  of  Mar  Saba 
manufacture  and  sell  to  pilgrims,  crowns  from  a  tree  that  bears 
a  long,  sharp  thorn,  which  they  believe  to  be  the  kind  used  on 
that  occasion. 

Just  below  where  we  are  ascending,  and  near  the  base  of  the 
mount,  the  place  is  still  pointed  out  where,  in  the  days  of 
the  temple  service,  the  red  heifer  was  sacrificed  and  burnt,  from 
the  ashes  of  which  the  waters  of  purification  were  prepared. 
(Num.  xix.)  By  one  of  these  paths  too,  probably  the  one 
upon  the  right,  David  ascended  when  he  was  forced  to  flee 
from  the  city  under  the  rebellion  of  his  son  Absalom.  This 
afflictive  incident  in  the  life  of  the  renowned  monarch  is  pa- 
thetically portrayed  by  the  pen  of  inspiration.  Absalom  had 
managed  his  plans  so  adroitly,  the  court  of  Israel  was  com- 
pletely taken  by  surprise.  The  reports  of  the  wide-spread  re- 
bellion, like  peal  after  peal  of  thunder,  came  rolling  in  from  the 
surrounding  tribes.  The  power  and  extent  of  the  rebellion 
seems  to  have  been  greatly  magnified,  and  the  king  and  his 
servants  made  a  hasty  flight  from  Jerusalem.  David  and  his 
associates  passed  over  the  brook  Kidron,  along  this  pathway 
they  climbed  the  mount.  "  And  David  went  up  the  ascent  of 
Olivet,  and  wept  as  he  went  up,  and  had  his  head  covered  ; 
and  he  went  barefoot;  and  all  the  people  that  were  with  hirn 
covered  every  man  his  head,  and  they  went  up  weeping  as 
they  went."  (2  Sam.  xv.  30.)  The  result  we  have  seen  in 
another  place,  and  within  our  very  sight  now  stands  the  pillar 
of  Absalom,  and  all  who  pass  by  revile  his  name. 

At  last  we  gained  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  found  upon 
the  top  of  it  a  little  Arab  village  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miserable 
hovels,  a  Turkish  mosque,  surmounted  by  a  tall  minaret,  and 
at  a  little  distance,  a  dilapidated  Christian  structure,  known  as 
the  Church  of  the  Ascension.  From  the  minaret  of  this 
mosque  we  had  one  of  those  sublime  and  extensive  views  of 
the  land  that  strikes  every  beholder  with  admiration.  Here  we 
stood,  nearly  two  thousand  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  waters 
of  the  Mediterranean,  and  almost  four  thousand  feet  above 
those  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The  mountains  of  Jerusalem  were 
clustering  close  around  us.     Gethsemane,  Jehoshaphat  and 


136 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Kidron  seemed  under  our  feet;  the  walls  and  domes  and  mina- 
rets of  the  city  lay  glistening  in  the  sunlight.  Far  away  to  the 
south  rose  up  the  high,  conical  peak  of  the  Frank  mountain, 
encompassed  by  a  multitude  of  smaller  hills,  and  rising  amid 
them  all  Beth-haccerem,  where  Herod  had  his  paradise,  and 
where  it  is  said  his  execrable  bones  are  now  interred.  To  the 
north  and  northeast  was  ISTeby  Samuel,  or  Mizpeh,  once  the 
gpat  rallying  place  of  Israel,  its  summit  now  crowned  with  a 
Moslem  mosque  ;  while  about  it  clustered  many  other  interest- 
ing localities — Gibeon,  whose  inhabitants  beguiled  Joshua  into 
a  league  of  peace ;  the  valley  of  Ajalon,  where,  at  the  command 
of  Joshua,  the  sun  and  moon  stood  still  in  the  heavens; 
to  the  right  of  them  the  white  barren  cliffs  of  Michmash,  the 
rocky  glens  and  deep,  gloomy  ravines  of  Kamah,  Geba  and 
Anathoth.  Having  feasted  your  eyes  on  these,  you  turn  and 
look  eastward.  "What  a  scene  opens  to  your  wondering  vision ! 
There  the  hill  country  of  Judea — the  wilderness — lies  before 
you  in  all  its  gloomy  sterility ;  a  mountainous  region,  broken 
into  bluffs  and  crags,  whose  deep  and  yawning  chasms  form  a 
fit  hiding  place  for  JBedawin  robbers  and  beasts  of  prey.  Here 
your  eye  wanders  to  the  bleak  looking  mountain  of  Quaran- 
tania,  where  the  Savior,  fresh  from  his  baptism,  endured  his 
terrible  temptation,  and  achieved  his  first  great  moral  victory. 
Beyond  this,  you  look  down  into  the  deep  vale  of  the  Jordan, 
fresh  in  beauty  and  fertility,  with  its  long,  snaky  line  of  blue 
waters,  around  which  cluster  a  thousand  interesting  associa- 
tions. You.  follow  its  course  along  the  dim  distance,  the  width 
of  the  plain  gradually  expanding,  until  your  eye  catches  a  view 
of  a  portion  of  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea,  that  wonderful 
monument,  that  entombs  beneath  its  dark  and  leaden  waves, 
the  buried  cities  of  the  plain.  Beyond  all  these  rise  up 
in  dark  and  sullen  grandeur  the  mysterious  mountains  of 
Moab,  the  region  beyond  the  Jordan,  on  one  of  whose  bold 
eminences  the  haughty  Balak  stood  when  he  called  Balaam  : 
"  Come  curse  me  Jacob — come  defy  Israel."  Almost  instinct- 
ively you  search  out  the  highest  peak,  and  as  your  eye  rests 
upon  it,  you  exclaim:  "There  is  Pisgah !  On  that  sublime 
bight  stood  Moses  when  he  took  his  survey  of  the  Promised 


MOUNT   OF  OLIVES. 


137 


Land  !  "  What  remarkable  sights  are  before  us,  and  what  won- 
derful visions  of  the  past  rise  around  us  as  we  stand  upon  this 
lofty  summit  and  enjoy  this  extensive  prospect.  "Were  there 
nothing  more  than  this,  a  half  hour  on  Olivet  would  well  repay 
a  long  and  weary  pilgrimage. 

But  Olivet  has  associations  and  lessons  of  a  deeper  interest. 
The  path  up  which  we  toiled  has  often  been  pressed  by  the  feet 
of  the  Son  of  God ;  beneath  the  shade  of  its  olives  and  vines 
he  sat  and  taught  his  listening  disciples ;  the  garden  beneath 
us  was  the  scene  of  his  agony.  But  more  than  this,  it  is  the 
Mount  of  Ascension  !  Forty  days  after  his  resurrection  he  led 
his  disciples  out  as  far  as  Bethany,  and  while  he  talked  with 
them  he  blessed  them,  and  a  cloud  received  him  tip  out  of  their 
sight.  And  while  they  stood  astonished  and  awe  struck,  angels 
in  white  apparel  stood  by  them  :  "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why 
stand  ye  gazing  into  Heaven  ?  This  same  Jesus  which  is  taken 
from  you  into  Heaven  shall,  in  like  manner,  return  again  from 
Heaven."  0  Olivet!  stepping-stone  from  which  the  victor- 
ious Son  of  God  went  back  to  glory,  lifting  thy  majestic  form 
above  all  the  mountains  around  Jerusalem,  it  was  fit  thou 
shouldst  be  honored  above  them  all !  From  the  garden  at  thy 
base,  to  the  place  of  ascension  upon  thy  summit,  what  a  radi- 
ance of  glory  clusters  about  thee !  Mount  of  Ascension,  with 
thee  is  associated  the  hope  of  glory;  thou  givest  us  assurance 
of  the  life  everlasting ! 

9 


138 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Excursion  to  Bethany — Good  Friday — Easter  Sunday  at 
the  Holy  Sepulchre — Mount  Moriah  and  the  Temple. 

The  last  chapter  left  us  upon  the  summit  of  Olivet.  A  sub- 
sequent excursion  was  extended  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
mountain.  The  eastern  slope  is  more  irregular,  and  has  not  the 
barren  and  neglected  look  of  the  western.  Large  patches  of 
the  soil  are  cultivated,  olive  trees  are  more  plenty  and  have  a 
more  vigorous  and  nourishing  appearance.  We  made  the  ex- 
cursion on  foot,  for  we  felt  it  was  an  honored  privilege  to  walk 
over  ground  every  step  of  which  has  been  trodden  by  patri- 
archs and  apostles,  ay,  by  the  blessed  Savior  himself!  "We 
continued  down  the  direct  path  from  the  summit,  narrow  and 
rocky,  but  deeply  worn,  for  it  has  known  the  friction  of  human 
feet  for  four  thousand  years.  Near  the  base  of  the  mount,  nest- 
ling close  under  the  brow  of  the  hill,  deeply  shaded  with  olive 
trees,  we  found  Bethany. 

It  now  contains  only  about  twenty  houses,  built  of  stone,  all 
looking  old  and  time-worn.  The  Arabs  call  it  El-Aziriyeh,  from 
El-azir,  the  Arabic  form  of  Lazarus.  Thus  with  the  very  name 
of  the  place  is  now  associated  the  remembrance  of  the  family 
whose  connection  with  Jesus  has  given  it  its  interest  and  im- 
mortality. As  we  looked  down  upon  it,  how  appropriate  the 
words  of  the  poet  seemed : 

"  And  this  is  Bethany  I  and  here  abode 

The  favored  family  whom  Jesus  loved ; 

To  whose  warm,  humble  welcome,  't  was  his  wont, 

Tracking  the  path  that  now  I  passed  along, 

Oft  to  retire  from  foes  and  wavering  friends. 


VISIT   TO    BETHANY  139 


It  seems  a  humble  village ;  few  its  homes, 
And  few  and  poor  its  dwellers;  cottage  roofs, 
Except  one  simple  turret,  are  they  all ! 
Yet,  save  the  neighboring  oity,  it  were  hard, 
If  Palestine  were  searched,  to  find  a  spot 
On  which  the  Christian  traveler  should  muse 
With  fonder  interest  than  Bethany." 

We  made  a  descent  upon  the  rear  of  the  village,  climbed 
over  a  low,  tottering  stone  wall,  and  found  ourselves  in  a  little 
patch  sowed  to  barley,  and  thickly  shaded  with  venerable  old 
olive  trees.  An  amiable  looking  old  man,  with  a  long  Turkish 
robe  and  a  heavy  turban,  that  certainly  aided  in  giving  him  a 
very  dignified  aspect,  came  out  to  meet  us,  with  an  inquiring 
look,  as  much  as  to  say :  "  0  Franks,  why  trespass  ye  upon  my 
grounds?"  We  met  him  with  a  friendly,  "Salaam  Alakoom," 
Peace  be  with  you,  and  he  returned  the  salutation.  He  carried 
in  his  hand  a  Mohammedan  rosary  of  olive  wood  beads,  on 
which  he  was  counting  his  prayers,  for  it  was  Kamedan.  I 
took  it  in  my  hand  and  said,  bacomdee?  (how  much)  at  the  same 
time  offering  him  an  English  sixpence.  He  took  the  sixpence, 
and  passed  me  over  the  beads,  and  I  added  them  to  my  collec- 
tion of  curiosities.  Observing  an  Arab  knife  hanging  by  a 
chain  from  his  belt,  with  a  steel  for  striking  fire,  bodkin,  etc., 
I  made  him  another  offer,  and  for  twenty-five  cents  pocketed 
the  entire  fixture.  We  then  motioned  to  him  to  cut  each  of  us 
a  cane  from  his  olive  trees;  to  this  he  objected  for  some  time, 
but  at  last,  with  a  backsheesh  of  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  apiece, 
we  overcame  his  scruples. 

Passing  on  through  the  village,  another  person  offered  to 
show  us  the  house  of  Mary  and  Martha,  and  the  Tomb  of  Laz- 
arus. As  to  the  house,  we  could,  of  course,  place  but  little  re- 
liance on  its  genuineness,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  one 
shown  us  as  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper,  where  Mary  anointed 
Jesus'  feet.  The  tomb  is  a  deep,  dark  vault,  mostly  excavated 
in  the  solid  rock.  A  low  door  at  the  entrance,  and  a  dilapi- 
dated, winding  stairway  led  us  down  into  a  chamber,  from 
which  another  door  opened,  and  a  descent  of  a  few  steps 
brought  us  into  an  inner  chamber  or  small  vault,  in  which  the 


140 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


body  of  Lazarus  is  said  to  have  lain.  Of  course,  the  only 
evidence  that  sustains  its  identity  is  the  uncertain  tradition, 
but  as  one  says,  "  the  tomb  must  have  been  somewhere  in  this 
vicinity." 

Bethphage,  "the  House  of  Figs,"  that  sacred  writ  has  so  close- 
ly connected  with  Bethany,  has  perished,  and  its  site  is  a  mere 
matter  of  conjecture;  but  Bethany,  "the  House  of  Dates,"  re- 
mains, and  long  will  remain,  the  Laziriyeh  of  the  Arab,  to  re- 
mind the  visitor  of  the  simple  gospel  narrative,  and  the  God- 
like power  of  the  Son  of  man  in  recalling  to  life  the  tenement 
of  the  tomb.  Here  Mary  and  Martha,  with  Lazarus  their 
brother,  enjoyed  their  quiet  home.  In  yonder  tumultuous  city 
Jesus  spent  many  weary  days  about  his  Father's  business,  and 
when  night  came  down  on  city  and  mountain,  with  this  devoted 
family  he  found  a  blessed  place  of  refreshment  and  rest.  Laz- 
arus was  taken  sick  while  Jesus  was  in  Galilee.  With  tender 
affection  the  sisters  watched  over  him  while  they  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  the  Master:  "  He  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick."  Hours 
and  days  of  anxious  toil  and  watching  pass,  and  the  afflicted 
sisters  close  their  brother's  eyes  in  death,  wondering  why  Jesus 
does  not  come.  At  last  his  approach  is  announced.  What  an 
illustration  of  simple,  confiding  faith  is  that,  when  Martha  met 
him,  and  struggling  to  suppress  the  deep  emotions  of  her  grief, 
exclaimed:  "Lord,  if  thou  had&t  been  here  my  brother  had 
not  died."  And  what  a  lesson  in  the  answer,  confirmed  by  the 
subsequent  Omnipotent  act  of  the  Savior :  "  Thy  brother  shall 
live  again."  Here  were  the  incipient  unfoldings  of  that  great 
doctrine  of  life  and  immortality  the  Savior  came  to  reveal. 

Leaving  Bethany,  we  took  the  road  around  the  southern 
brow  of  Olivet  to  return  to  Jerusalem.  And  now  we  were  upon 
ground  connected  with  another  deeply  interesting  incident  in 
the  life  of  the  Savior — his  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem. 
Here  the  colt  was  procured  and  the  grand  procession  formed. 
Here  they  broke  off'  branches  of  palm  trees  and  spread  their 
garments  in  the  way.  Over  the  road  along  which  this  shouting 
multitude  passed  we  were  now  to  walk.  A  short  distance 
brought  us  upon  the  southwestern  slope  of  the  mount,  where  a 
turn  in  the  road,  as  it  led  around  the  hill,  brought  us  suddenly 


THE    TRIUMPHAL    PROCESSION.  143 

in  full  sight  of  Jerusalem !  The  whole  city,  as  seen  in  the  accom- 
panying cut,  like  a  great  panorama,  lay  before  us,  seemingly 
but  a  few  rods  distant.  It  must  have  been  just  at  this  point, 
and  as  the  multitude  that  went  before  and  followed  after  were 
crying,  "Hosanna,  blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord ! "  that  the  city  all  at  once  burst  upon  the  view  of  Je- 
sus, awakening  the  emotions,  and  stirring  the  profoundest 
depths  of  his  sympathizing  heart.  He  saw  the  city  and  wept 
over  it.  "0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  if  thou  hadst  known,  even 
thou,  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that  belong  to  thy  peace,  but 
now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes.  The  days  shall  come  upon 
thee  that  thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and 
compass  thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  and  lay 
thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  children  within  thee;  and 
they  shall  not  leave  thee  one  stone  upon  another."  The  ap- 
plauding multitude  had  acclamations  of  praise  for  the  King  of 
Zion ;  that  honored  king  in  his  meekness  and  humility  had 
tears  of  compassion  for  the  doomed  city  that  lay  in  glory  and 
beauty  at  his  feet.  And  well  did  he  know  how  fickle  the  hon- 
ors of  that  multitude  would  prove.  "  To-day,"  he  might  say, 
u  they  lead  me  in  honor  and  triumph,  crying,  Hosanna,  and 
shouting  blessings  on  my  head ;  scarce  ten  days  will  pass  away 
before  this  same  multitude  will  cry,  Crucify  him !  crucify  him ! " 
O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem!  thou  that  killest  the  prophets  and 
stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  terribly  the  prophetic 
declarations  of  that  Savior  have  been  fulfilled!  Those  walls 
upon  which  he  then  looked  have  been  demolished,  and  stran- 
gers come  and  dispute  about  the  lines  upon  which  their  found- 
ations were  laid;  thy  children  perished  within  thee,  and  thy 
palaces  were  laid  even  with  the  ground;  that  wonderful  and 
costly  temple  has  been  utterly  annihilated,  and  the  devotees  of 
a  strange  religion  have  built  their  shrine  upon  its  site !  Whose 
record  is  this  but  the  Handwriting  of  an  omniscient  and  Om- 
nipotent God,  so  legible,  all  may  read;  so  plain,  none  can  mis- 
understand. 

A   JEWISH  PASSOVER. 

Thursday  evening  of  this  week  was  the  anniversary  of  the 


144 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


great  Jewish  Feast  of  the  Passover.  A  German  merchant  of 
the  city,  whose  acquaintance  we  had  made,  kindly  offered  to 
accompany  us  to  the  residence  of  a  Jewish  family,  where  we 
could  witness  their  mode  of  celebrating  the  feast.  His  kind  of- 
fer was  gladly  accepted,  and  about  9  o'clock  we  made  our  way 
along  the  dark,  crooked  lanes  of  the  Jewish  quarter,  and  were 
ushered  into  an  upper  room.  Here  we  found  a  family  consist- 
ing of  father,  mother,  mother's  sister,  four  sons  and  a  daughter, 
and  with  them  one  of  the  neighboring  women.  Their  exercises 
had  already  commenced.  They  no  longer  kill  the  paschal  lamb, 
all  their  sacrifices  having  ceased ;  the  other  accompaniments  of 
the  feast,  so  far  as  circumstances  would  allow,  were  provided. 
A  common  dining-table  was  spread  with  a  cloth,  a  plate  and 
common  drinking-glass  for  each  person ;  in  the  center  of  the 
table  was  a  large,  flat,  open  dish,  a  bottle  of  wine,  a  thin  cake 
of  unleavened  bread,  and  a  plate  of  bitter  herbs,  which  I 
thought  were  the  stumps  or  bitter  ends  of  lettuce  stalks. 
Around  this  table  the  family  were  seated,  the  women  with 
their  bonnets  and  shawls  on,  the  men  with  their  overcoats  and 
hats,  all  in  readiness  to  travel  in  accordance  with  the  original 
design  of  the  institution.  They  were  provided  with  Hebrew 
books,  from  which  they  read  aloud,  all  reading  at  once.  Occa- 
sionally the  reading  was  interrupted,  and  one  of  the  boys  would 
entertain  them  by  the  recital  of  some  incident  of  Jewish  histo- 
ry connected  with  their  former  bondage,  and  God's  favor  to- 
wards them. 

After  reading  in  this  way  for  some  time,  the  father  took  the 
bottle,  and  poured  a  small  quantity  of  wine  into  each  one's 
glass.  An  interval  of  reading  followed,  when  at  a  proper  time 
each  took  a  swallow  of  wine,  and  then  all  simultaneously 
poured  a  portion  into  the  large  open  dish  that  stood  in  the 
center  of  the  table,  accompanying  the  act  with  an  imprecation 
that  God  would  so  pour  out  his  indignation  upon  their  enemies. 
Another  season  of  reading  and  conversation  followed,  when 
the  father  broke  the  cake  and  passed  a  portion  to  each  member 
of  the  household,  also  extending  the  compliment  to  us.  We 
staid  an  hour  or  two,  and  then  took  our  leave,  assured  by  our 


A    JEWISH  PASSOVER. 


145 


friend  the  exercises  of  the  family  would  be  kept  up  in  this  way 
nearly  or  quite  till  daybreak. 

We  were  highly  gratified  with  this  opportunity  of  witness- 
ing the  mode  in  which  the  Jews  at  the  present  day  celebrate  this 
feast.  It  is  now,  as  it  ever  has  been,  a  standing  memorial  of 
God's  interposition  for  the  deliverance  of  this  ancient  people. 
The  very  tenacity  with  which  this  people  adhere  to  these  hoary 
customs  of  antiquity  is  a  striking  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the 
written  narrative.  But  how  changed  the  scene  from  the  days 
of  their  former  prosperity  and  glory.  Their  altar  has  been  de- 
molished, their  temple  destroyed,  and  their  sacrifices  have 
ceased.  They  have  left  to  them  only  the  unsubstantial  bread 
and  the  bitter  herbs.  Would  to  God  their  eyes  might  be 
opened,  that  they  might  see  in  Christ  the  true  Passover,  sacri- 
ficed alike  for  J ew  and  Gentile ! 

GOOD    FRIDAY   IN  JERUSALEM. 

This  is  a  great  day  among  the  Catholic  population  of  the 
city.  Many  strangers  have  taken  lodgings  at  our  "Terra 
Santa,"  among  them  some  high  dignitaries  of  the  church,  and 
between  fifty  and  sixty  French  military  officers  from  Beirut. 
This  week,  however,  is  rather  a  severe  one  to  the  Epicurian 
portion  of  our  boarders.  Being  the  close  of  Lent,  and  the  an- 
niversary of  some  of  the  most  solemn  religious  events  celebrated 
here,  the  rigidness  of  the  fast  was  greatly  increased.  On  Tues- 
day morning  it  was  announced  that  no  more  meat  would  be 
served  during  the  week.  Not  only  were  we  deprived  of  meat, 
but  the  omnipresent  olive  oil,  always  much  used  here,  and 
which  but  few  in  our  far  western  country  have  learned  to  rel- 
ish, as  a  constant  reminder  I  suppose  of  the  grace  of  consecra- 
tion, was  mingled  with  our  soup,  poured  over  our  fish,  and  fried 
into  our  vegetables.  It  might  have  been  a  week  of  severe 
penance  had  we  had  no  other  resources.  But  not  having  the 
fear  of  the  sovereign  Pontiff  before  our  eyes,  we,  of  course,  were 
not  overscrupulous  if  any  fortune  threw  a  good  joint  in  our 
way.  Had  we  been  put  upon  the  confessional,  as  I  suppose 
some  of  our  associates  were,  the  damaging  fact  might  have 
been  disclosed,  that  we  did,  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  church, 


146 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


visit  the  tables  of  unbelievers  and  heretics,  and  then  and  there 
indulge  in  fleshy  appetites  unbecoming  a  faithful  "  son  of  the 
church."  True  it  is,  whatever  might  have  been  the  opinions 
of  those  around  us,  we  did  not  allow  our  liberty  to  be  judged 
by  other  men's  consciences. 

THE   VIA   DOLOROSA,    OR   SORROWFUL  WAY. 

On  Friday  at  dinner  it  was  announced  that  at  2  o'clock  a 
procession  would  be  formed  at  the  "  House  of  Pilate,"  to  trav- 
erse the  "  sorrowful  way "  over  which  Jesus  made  his  painful 
journey  from  the  place  of  his  condemnation  to  the  scene  of  his 
crucifixion.  Monks,  bishops  and  priests,  officers,  soldiers  and 
pilgrims,  were  at  the  place  at  the  appointed  hour,  and  an  intel- 
ligent inmate  of  the  convent  acted  as  guide  and  interpreter. 
The  House  of  the  Pasha,  or  present  Governor  of  Jerusalem,  is 
supposed  to  occupy  the  site  of  the  old  Palace  of  Pilate,  and 
here  is  the  commencement,  of  this  "  sorrowful  way." 

I  have  been  asked  since  my  return,  how  far  it  was  from 
Mount  Zion,  or  the  probable  place  of  the  institution  of  the 
supper,  to  Gethsemane.  By  the  aid  of  Dr.  Barclay,  I  am  able 
to  give  the  following  table  of  distances : 


From  Zion  to  Gethsemane   850  to  900  yards. 

"     Gethsemane  to  the  House  of  Annas   2300  to  2400  " 

"     House  of  Annas  to  High  Priest's  Palace   1400  to  2100  « 

«    H.  P.  Palace  to  Council  House   200  to  400  « 

"     Council  House  to  Pretorium  (in  Antonia)   350  to  400  " 

"    Pretorium  to  Herod's  Palace   950  to  1000  " 

«     Herod's  Palace  hack  to  Pretorium   950  to  1000  « 

"     Pretorium  to  Calvary   500  to  600  " 

7500  to  8800  " 


Thus  during  that  fearful  night  of  suffering  and  the  following 
morning,  the  Son  of  God  was  led  about,  most  of  the  time  un- 
der a  guard  of  soldiers,  and  suffering  their  indignities,  from 
four  to  five  miles. 

In  the  walk  we  are  now  to  take,  we  give  the  traditions  as 
held  by  the  Latin  church,  and  as  explained  to  us  as  we  passed 
the  stations.  Our  attention  was  first  called  to  an  old,  dilapi- 
ted  arch  spanning  the  narrow  street,  one  end  of  which  is  now 


THE    SORKOWFUL  WAY. 


147 


inclosed  in  the  walls  of  a  Latin  convent  opposite  the  Pasha's 
Palace.  This  is  the  "  Ecce  Homo  Arch,"  the  place,  it  is  said, 
where  Pilate  brought  Jesus  out  and  set  him  before  the  multi- 
tude and  said:  "Behold  the  man."  Connected  with  this  arch, 
it  is  said,  stood  the  "  Scala  Santa,"  a  flight  of  stone  stairs  lead- 
ing to  the  Judgment  Hall  of  Pilate,  and  over  which  our  Savior 
passed  as  he  was  led  to  the  arch.  This  flight  of  stairs,  as  long 
ago  as  the  days  of  Constantine,  were  removed  to  Rome,  and 
they  are  now  there,  covered  by  the  bascilica  of  St.  John  Lateran, 
and  such  is  the  superstitious  revereuce  in  which  they  are  held, 
no  one  is  permitted  to  ascend  them  except  upon  his  knees. 
These  we  afterwards  saw  in  our  visit  to  that  city. 

In  close  connection  with  this  arch  is  the  "Church  of  the 
Flagellation,"  or  u  Church  of  the  Crowning  of  Thorns."  Here 
the  devotional  exercises  commenced,  a  brief  explanatory  ad- 
dress was  made,  followed  by  a  prayer,  the  whole  company 
kneeling.  From  this  we  passed  a  short  distance  and  again 
stopped.  "Here,"  said  our  leader,  "is  the  place  where  the 
cross  was  laid  upon  him;"  moving  a  little  farther,  "Here  he 
fell  down  under  the  cross ; "  stopping  at  another  place,  "Here 
he  fell  down  again,  and  the  cross  was  laid  on  Simon ; "  at  the 
next  station,  "Here  he  met  his  mother  and  said:  'Salve 
Mater.' "  On  we  went  up  the  gentle  ascent  that  led  to  Calva- 
ry. "Here  a  holy  woman  (St.  Veronica)  met  him,  and  pre- 
sented him  a  napkin  to  wipe  his  face,  now  covered  with  sweat 
and  blood."  Again,  "  Here  he  stopped  to  console  the  women 
that  accompanied  him;"  "Here  he  came  in  sight  of  the  cross, 
and  overcome  with  agony  in  anticipation  of  his  sufferings,  again 
fell  to  the  ground."  We  had  now  reached  and  entered  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  "Here  they  stripped  him  of 
his  raiment;"  and  "here  they  nailed  him  to  the  cross;"  and 
"  here,"  as  they  surrounded  the  altar  in  the  chapel  of  the  cru- 
cifixion, "  here  they  lifted  him  up,  and  here  he  died ! "  The 
road  we  traversed  was  crooked,  narrow  and  doleful — all  its 
gloomy  surroundings  in  unison  with  the  solemn  associations 
the  events  of  the  crucifixion  were  calculated  to  awaken.  The 
principal  "stations"  in  this  "Sorrowful  Way"  are  eight  or 
ten  in  number,  besides  several  minor  ones.    At  each  of  the 


148 


THE   HOLY    LAN  D. 


prominent  ones  an  explanatory  address  was  made,  and  a  prayer 
offered,  all  the  company  devoutly  kneeling  upon  the  rough 
pavement  of  the  open  street. 

"  And  what,"  I  hear  you  ask,  "  was  the  effect  upon  you  as 
you  followed  this  company  of  worshipers,  and  listened  to  the 
recital  of  their  absurd  chronicles?  Could  there  be  any  other 
feeling  than  disgust  at  the  pious  frauds  that  had  thus  sought  out 
and  given  definite  locality  to  scenes  and  places,  the  keenest  hu- 
man research  could  never  have  discovered?"  I  cannot  say  the 
events  of  the  afternoon  had  any  such  effect  upon  my  mind. 
Little  reverence  as  I  had  for  their  traditions,  and  little  faith  as 
I  could  exercise  in  their  special  localities,  the  great  prominent 
events  of  that  terrible  scene  of  toil,  trial  and  suffering,  in  the 
closing  drama  of  the  Savior's  life,  seemed  towering  up  in  gi- 
gantic visions  about  me,  eclipsing  by  their  prominence  every 
minor  consideration.  The  path  from  the  Hall  of  Pilate  to  the 
Hill  of  Calvary,  whether  along  this  particular  track  or  not, 
was  once  traveled  by  the  suffering  Son  of  God.  As  a  con- 
demned culprit,  he  was  led,  bearing  his  cross ;  in  weakness  he 
sunk  beneath  it,  trembling  under  the  awful  pressure  of  more 
than  human  agony.  It  was,  indeed,  a  "sorrowful  way,''  and 
along  it  I  walked  under  the  deep  and  solemn  impressions  the 
remembrance  of  the  bloody  tragedy  was  calculated  to  inspire. 
I  rose  above  all  care  or  concern  for  the  creations  of  human 
fanc}^,  or  the  invention  of  traditional  legends,  and  thought  only 
of  Him  who  "was  delivered  for  our  offenses,  and  raised  again 
for  our  justification." 

THE   JEWS'   PLACE   OF  WAILING. 

Besides  traversing  the  "  Sorrowful  "Way,"  we  made  a  visit 
to  the  spot  where  the  Israelites  are  accustomed  to  assemble  to 
weep  over  the  desolations  of  Zion.  It  is  strange  how,  at  differ- 
ent times,  this  persecuted  race  have  been  driven  from  their  re- 
vered place  of  worship,  and  debarred  access  to  the  site  of  their 
ancient  temple  and  altar.  After  the  capture  of  the  city  by 
Adrian,  the  Jews  were  entirely  excluded  from  it,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  days  of  Constantine  that  they  were  permitted  to  come 
near  enough  to  behold  it  from  the  neighboring  hills.  Some- 


STONE    OF    WAILING.  151 

time  subsequent  to  this  they  were  allowed  to  come  into  the  city 
on  the  anniversary  of  its  overthrow  by  Titus,  to  weep  over  the 
ruins  if  the  Temple.  From  these  early  times  the  practice  of 
mourning  over  the  desolations  of  Zion  appear  to  have  been 
continued,  but  even  to  this  day  no  Jew  is  allowed  to  visit  the 
Temple  area,  to  set  his  foot  upon  the  hallowed  spot  once  conse- 
crated by  the  altar  of  God. 

Near  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  Temple  area,  (plan  of 
the  city,  Eo.  17,)  in  the  wall  of  the  inclosure  are  several  courses 
of  large  stones,  some  of  them  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  bearing 
the  Jewich  bevel,  and  though  very  ancient — supposed  by  many 
to  have  been  placed  here  by  Solomon  when  the  Temple  area 
was  graded — they  are  still  in  a  very  good  state  of  preservation. 
These  are  the  stones  of  wailing,  and  this  is  the  nearest  ap- 
proach the  Jews  can  now  make  to  their  ancient  place  of  wor- 
ship and  sacrifi  ce.    Though  the  place  is  resorted  to  at  any  time 
by  the  more  devout,  Friday  afternoon  is  the  special  time  for 
the  Jews  to  congregate  here  and  weep  for  the  departed  glory 
of  their  city  and  temple.    The  accompanying  cut  gives  a  very 
good  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  wall,  where  often  the  place 
is  thronged  by  these  sorrow-stricken  children  of  Abraham. 
We  threaded  our  way  through  the  narrow,  crooked  lanes  to 
this  obcure  part  of  the  city,  with  but  a  slight  idea  of  the  scene 
we  were  to.  witness.    What  was  our  surprise  to  find  the  alley 
along  the  wall  nearly  blocked  up  with  a  large  collection  of 
these  mourning  people.    There  were  here  representatives  from 
different  nations,  with  their  varied  and  strange  looking  cos- 
tumes— old  men  with  wrinkled  face  and  white  flowing  beards ; 
young  men  in  the  vigor  and  strength  of  manhood;  women  en- 
veloped from  head  to  feet  in  loose  robes  of  snowy  white ;  rosy 
cheeked  girls  and  smooth  faced  boys,  some  sitting,  some  stand- 
ing, some  leaning  their  heads  against  the  old,  time-worn  stones, 
earnestly  reading  from  Hebrew  books  or  devoutly  engaged  in 
prayer.    Soon  two  or  three  venerable  old  men,  as  they  leaned 
against  the  wall,  seemed  overpowered  by  their  deep  and  appa- 
rently heart-felt  emotions;  their  strong  frames  trembled,  the 
great  tears  rolled  like  rain  drops  down  their  cheeks,  and  they 
wept  aloud.    The  women  took  up  the  solemn  wail,  and  even 


152  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

the  children  seemed  to  catch  the  rising  emotion  as  it  went  from 
heart  to  heart.  I  was  not  prepared  for  this  spontaneous  out- 
burst of  grief.  There  was  something  in  it  so  touching,  earn- 
est, and  apparently  sincere,  it  aroused  the  sympathies  of  my 
own  heart,  and  almost  before  I  was  conscious  of  it,  I  was  weep- 
ing with  them.  There  is  something  truly  mournful  and  affect- 
ing in  the  sad  condition  of  this  people  as  now  seen  in  contrast 
with  their  former  prosperity  and  glory.  How  miraculously 
they  have  been  preserved  a  distinct  people ;  with  what  unyield- 
ing tenacity  they  still  cling  to  their  former  faith;  with  what 
undying  affection  they  turn  to  the  home  of  their  fathers,  favor- 
iug  the  dust  of  Zion,  and  taking  pleasure  in  her  stones ! 

But  however  sincerely  they  may  mourn  over  the  ruins  of 
their  demolished  temple,  no  rivers  of  grief  can  cleanse  the 
sanctuary,  no  sacrifices  of  prayer  rebuild  its  walls,  for,  in  tlie 
purposes  of  God,  it  has  been  utterly  and  forever  overthrown. 
It  seemed  to  me  a  strange  coincidence,  that  at  the  very  time 
that  a  Christian  procession  was  celebrating  in  the  streets  of  Je- 
rusalem the  honors  of  Jesus,  rejoicing  in  him  as  their  hope 
and  glory,  the  very  race  that  put  him  to  death  were  weeping 
over  their  own  downfall  and  degradation.  Weep  on,  O  op- 
pressed and  afiiicted  people !  Thy  sanctuary  will  never  be 
rebuilt.  There  was  a  temple  thy  fathers  destroyed,  and  God, 
in  three  days,  built  it  up  again.  It  is  only  in  that  temple,  of 
which  the  one  on  this  mount  was  but  a  type,  thou  canst  ever 
find  a  rock  of  foundation  on  which  to  rest,  an  altar  for  thy 
sacrifices,  a  refuge  from  oppression,  a  solace  for  thy  grief !  I 
turned  away  in  musing  mood,  glad  that  I  had  visited  the  spot. 
In  those  old  stones,  in  that  remnant  of  an  ancient  race,  in 
their  tears  and  lamentations,  I  had  read  a  deep  and  solemn 
lesson — I  had  seen  again  the  traces  of  an  omniscient  and  over- 
ruling God,  a  Handwriting  that  none  could  misinterpret. 

GOOD   FRIDAY  EVENING. 

The  day  has  been  crowded  with  strange  incidents,  but  its 
religious  ceremonies  are  not  yet  at  an  end.  We  have  traversed 
the  "sorrowful  way"  from  the  hall  of  Pilate  to  Calvary. 
To-night  the  taking  down  from  the  cross  and  the  burial  is  to 


POMPOUS  CEREMONIES. 


153 


be  celebrated.  At  an  early  hour  we  repaired  to  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Sepulchre,  where  we  witnessed  the  most  imposing  cere- 
monies of  any  we  had  yet  seen.  The  vast  church — rotunda, 
chapels  and  galleries — seemed  one  dense  mass  of  human  beings, 
a  counterpart,  so  far  as  nationality  was  concerned,  of  Peter's 
audience  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost.  A  cross,  bearing  the  figure 
of  the  Savior,  had  been  erected  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Crucifix- 
ion. Hundreds  of  small  wax  tapers  were  distributed  among 
the  crowd ;  the  dignitaries  of  the  church  were  arrayed  in  their 
costliest  robes,  the  candles  were  lighted,  and  the  procession, 
singiug  the  Te  Deum,  surrounded  the  cross.  A  ladder  was 
raised,  and  two  persons  ascending,  passed  a  linen  cloth  around 
the  body  under  the  arms,  to  support  it  from  above,  while 
another  with  a  hammer  knocked  the  nails  from  the  hands 
and  feet.  With  great  care  the  body  was  lowered  and  placed 
in  a  sheet,  when,  with  songs,  and  chants,  and  solemn  ceremo- 
nies, it  was  borne  first  to  the  "  stone  of  unction,"  where  it  was 
prepared  for  burial  by  anointing  with  spices.  From  this  it 
was  borne  towards  the  tomb,  the  procession  moving  round  the 
sepulchre  in  the  great  rotunda  of  the  church.  As  they  pro- 
ceeded, a  rest  was  occasionally  made ;  portions  of  the  gospel, 
descriptive  of  scenes  in  the  crucifixion,  were  read,  and  addresses 
to  the  audience  made.  In  this  way  we  had  a  short  sermon 
in  each  of  the  following  languages :  French,  Greek,  Italian, 
German,  Arabic,  and  what  I  was  most  surprised  to  hear,  one 
in  good,  well  spoken  English.  Of  the  character  of  the  others  I 
could  not  judge,  but  of  this  last  I  can  say,  in  justice  to  the 
speaker,  it  was  a  plain,  faithful,  earnest  exhortation  to  look  to 
Jesus,  and  accept  him  as  the  only  way  of  salvation.  The 
ceremonies  were  pompous  in  the  extreme,  and  continued  to  a 
late  hour.  At  last  the  body  was  deposited  in  the  place  of 
sepulture,  and  the  vast  audience  gradually  dispersed. 

EASTER  MORNING. 

The  anniversary  of  the  Resurrection !  Wishing  to  witness 
the  ceremonies,  I  went,  like  the  women  of  old,  early  to  the 
Sepulchre,  I  may  say,  while  it  was  yet  dark,  for  the  sun  had 
not  attained  sufficient  hight  to  throw  his  golden  beams  through 


154 


THE    HOLT  LAND. 


the  windows  of  the  church.  A  sombre  twilight  reigned  within, 
the  effect  of  which  was  much  high  ten  ed  by  a  multitude  of 
burning  lamps  and  candles,  the  light  of  which  was  softened  by 
shades  of  colored  glass. 

Early  as  it  was,  I  found  I  was  anticipated  -by  the  crowd 
of  worshipers,  and  especially  by  the  women,  a  crowd  of  whom 
were  gathered  around  the  sepulchre,  completely  enveloped  from 
head  to  feet  in  long,  loose  robes  of  snowy  white,  giving  them 
a  very  peculiar  and  ghost-like  appearance.  "Worship  was 
being  conducted  in  different  languages  in  several  parts  of  the 
church  ;  lawless  multitudes  were  sauntering  about ;  the  peal  of 
the  organ's  notes,  the  nasal  song  of  the  Greek,  and  the  monoto- 
nous chant  of  the  Syrian,  blended  with  the  tramp  of  soldiers 
and  careless  talk  of  the  rabble,  made  a  singular  jargon,  calcu- 
lated to  inspire  any  feelings  but  those  of  devotion.  Several 
bishops  and  priests  were  performing  ceremonies  in  the  inner 
chamber  of  the  sepulchre,  while  others  were  engaged  without. 
I  made  several  attempts  to  reach  the  tomb,  but  could  not  for 
the  crowd.  My  eye  was  oppressed  with  the  dazzling  splendor 
of  the  candles  and  the  gold  and  silver  lamps,  the  pictures  and 
the  crucifixes ;  the  ear  confused  with  the  strange  jargon  of 
sounds.  "Here,"  I  said,  "are  the  rituals,  here  the  pomp,  and 
ceremony,  and  parade,  the  song  and  the  chant,  but  where  is 
the  spirit  ?  "  I  felt  like  Mary,  when  on  the  morning  of  the 
resurrection  she  stood  by  that  empty  tomb :  "They  have  taken 
away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him." 

I  left  the  church  and  passed  down  to  the  east  side  of  the  city, 
and  out  through  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  near  which  this  first  Chris- 
tian martyr  is  said  to  have  been  stoned,  and  perhaps  the  very 
gate  through  which  the  Savior  passed  on  the  terrible  night  of 
his  arrest  and  trial.  A  well  worn  path  led  down  a  steep  descent 
into  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat;  I  crossed  the  brook  Kidron, 
and  was  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  the  place  of  the  agony 
and  the  betrayal.  I  ascended  a  little  the  slope  of  Olivet  by 
the  same  path  the  Savior  had  so  often  traveled,  sat  down  under 
the  shade  of  a  venerable  old  olive  tree,  and  read  from  my  Bible 
the  account  of  the  last  supper,  the  scene  in  the  garden,  the 
treachery  of  Judas,  the  mock  trial,  and  the  crucifixion.  Alone 


VISIT    TO  GETHSEMANE. 


155 


in  this  retirement,  in  the  midst  of  these  hallowed  surroundings, 
memory  busied  herself  with  the  scenes  of  the  past,  and  I  was 
soon  absorbed  in  the  devout  meditations  the  place  was  calcu- 
lated to  inspire.  Along  this  path,  just  to  my  right,  the  Savior 
often  traveled,  as  he  went  to  Bethany,  to  rest  with  the  beloved 

^family  of  Mary,  Martha  and  Lazarus;  here  he  sat  and  wept 
over  yonder  devoted  city.  There,  just  at  my  feet,  he  left  Peter, 
James  and  John,  his  soul  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death, 
and  went  away  alone  by  himself  and  prayed,  being  in  an 
agony :  "  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from 
me  ;  nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt ;"  and  there  his 
sweat  was,  as  it  were,  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the 
ground.    This  mount  that  rises  up  behind  me,  was  the  mount 

'  of  his  triumph,  and  from  it  he  ascended  to  his  glory.  Here  my 
heart  burned  within  me,  and  there  was  kindled  in  my  soul  a 
glow  of  devotion  that  spurned  all  human  ceremonies,  and 
before  which  the  pomp  and  parade  of  all  earthly  rituals  were 
idle  mockery.  I  felt  that  Jesus  was  risen  indeed;  I  realized 
the  fulfillment  of  his  promise  :  "  I  will  not  leave  you  comfort- 
less.   I  will  come  to  you." 

A    NEW    AND   INTERESTING  ACQUAINTANCE. 

Returning  one  evening  with  my  friend  Herrick  from  an  ex- 
cursion to  Bethany,  as  we  came  near  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  a 
stranger,  knowing  us  by  our  dress  to  be  Franks,  accosted  us  in 
very  good  English,  and  began  questioning  us  with  true  Yankee 
familiarity.  We  found  him  to  be  a  Christian  Jew,  long  a  resi- 
dent of  Jerusalem,  and  now  the  keeper  of  a  boarding-house, 
where  English  and  American  visitors  often  find  a  home. 
While  conversing  with  him,  an  Arab  sheik  from  near  the 
Jordan  came  along,  and  as  this  son  of  Abraham  could  talk 
Arabic  with  facility,  we  improved  the  opportunity,  through 
him  as  interpreter,  to  make  some  inquiries  as  to  the  feasibility 
of  visiting  Mount  Nebo,  east  of  the  Jordan.  The  result  of 
our  inquiries  were,  that  he  had  no  jurisdiction  or  rights  beyond 
the  Jordan.  lie  would  take  us  to  his  home,  near  Jericho,  and 
entertain  us  there  till  he  could  go  over  and  bring  us  a  Moabite 
sheik,  with  whom  we  could  probably  make  a  bargain  to  take 


156 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


us  to  Eebo.  The  journey,  he  said,  would  take  three  days  from 
the  Jordan.  Learning  thus  the  difficulties  that  attended  the 
route,  and  knowing  the  treacherous  character  of  the  Moabite 
Arabs,  much  as  we  desired  to  climb  the  sides  of  old  Pisgah, 
and  take  a  survey  of  the  land  from  the  place  where  Moses 
stood,  and  climb  the  mountain  where  he  died,  we  thought  it  not  * 
prudent  to  make  the  attempt.  It  is  very  seldom  that  travelers 
now  attempt  to  visit  this  portion  of  the  country. 

AN    OLD    SAMARITAN  BIBLE. 

Our  new  acquaintance  invited  us  to  his  house,  which,  upon 
one  side,  joined  the  Pasha's  palace.  Through  his  acquaintance 
with  the  authorities  of  the  place,  we  were  allowed  to  pass  the 
gates  and  ascend  to  the  roof  of  the  guard-house,  which,  being  ' 
directly  upon  the  wall  of  the  Harem,  we  were  permitted  to  look 
down  into  the  sacred  inclosure,  and  enjoy  one  of  the  finest 
views  that  could  be  obtained  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  and  all 
its  interesting  sourroundings,  on  the  old  site  of  Solomon's 
Temple. 

Mr.  Ducat — for  this  we  found  to  be  the  name  of  the  man 
whose  acquaintance  we  had  thus  accidentally  made — then  took 
us  to  his  house  and  introduced  us  to  Prof.  Krauss,  and  Dr. 
Bassillius  Levishon,  the  first  a  middle  aged  man,  by  birth  a 
German ;  the  latter,  an  old  man,  also  a  German,  but  of  J ewish 
extraction.  They  are  both  eminent  Hebrew  scholars,  and  are 
sustained  here  at  the  expense  of  the  Russian  Episcopate. 
They  have  both  become  deeply  interested  in  Samaritan  litera- 
ture, and  are  now  devoting  themselves  to  the  reprint  of  an 
ancient  copy  of  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch.  The  story  of  this 
old  copy  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  is  so  singular,  I  am  induced 
to  give  a  synopsis  of  it,  as  I  had  it  from  the  lips  of  the  old 
Doctor  himself. 

STORY   OP   THE   OLD  MANUSCRIPT. 

The  small  remnant  of  the  old  Samaritans  have  for  years  lived 
in  such  obscurity  as  to  be  almost  unknown  to  the  Christian 
world.  The  little  literature  they  have,  has  been  carefully  and 
jealously  guarded,  and  kept  among  themselves.    Aside  from 


SAMARITAN  PENTATEUCH. 


157 


the  Pentateuch  in  Walton's  Polyglot,  and  a  few  fragments  of 
mutilated  hymns,  little  or  nothing  has  been  known  of  their 
literature  or  religion.  Between  1852  and  1854,  with  much  diffi- 
culty, several  volumes  of  Samaritan  were  procured  for  the 
British  Museum.  A  couple  of  years  since,  Dr.  Levishon  suc- 
ceeded in  procuring  from  Damascus  a  large  sized  Samaritan 
Pentateuch,  transcribed  upon  parchment,  A.  D.  1277. 

Anxious  to  give  the  scholars  of  the  world  this  interesting 
relic  of  an  almost  extinct  sect,  the  Doctor  made  a  journey  to 
Paris,  procured  a  lithographic  press,  learned  how  to  use  it,  re- 
turned with  it  to  Jerusalem,  and  immediately  commenced 
printing  a  fac-simile  of  the  old  parchment.  He  had  printed 
but  a  few  pages,  when,  learning  that  there  were  older  copies 
of  the  same  work  among  the  Samaritans  at  fabulous,  the  old 
Shechem  of  Scripture,  he  made  a  visit  there,  in  company  with 
Prof.  Krauss.  They  found  the  priest  and  leading  men  very 
reserved  about  their  sacred  books,  and  it  was  not  until  after 
an  acquaintance  of  several  days  that  they  ventured  to  broach 
the  real  object  of  their  mission.  They  at  last  ascertained  that 
a  number  of  the  families  had  these  old  copies  of  their  sacred 
books,  which  had  been  handed  down  from  generation  to  gene- 
ration, held  in  sacred  veneration,  and  kept  secreted  from  the 
eye  of  Mohammedan  and  Christian.  Among  these  the  priest 
showed  them  one  that  had  such  marks  of  great  antiquity, 
they  were  extremely  anxious  to  procure  it.  This  anxiety, 
however,  they  concealed  under  an  air  of  apparent  indifference, 
and  when  about  to  leave,  simply  inquired  of  the  family, 
through  the  priest,  if  the  manuscript  could  be  bought.  The 
first  answer  was  a  total  refusal  to  part  with  it.  Before  they 
left,  a  message  came,  through  the  priest,  that  the  family  would 
place  the  manuscript  at  their  disposal  for  14,000  piasters! 
about  six  hundred  dollars.  They  made  no  reply,  and  immedi- 
ately returned  home. 

Then  followed  a  long  and  remarkable  series  of  events.  The 

outbreak  among  the  Druses,  resulting  in  the  burning  of  so  many 

villages,  and  the  cold-blooded  murder  of  so  many  Christians, 

aroused  also  Mohammedan  intolerance  against  all  opposing 

religions,  and  the  little  remnant  of  Samaritans,  as  well  as  Chris- 
10 


158 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


tians,  trembled  for  their  safety.  "  That  outbreak,"  said  the  old 
Doctor,  earnestly,  "was  the  instrumentality,  under  God,  of  put- 
ting this  old  book  into  our  hands."  A  lordly  merchant  Turk 
from  Damascus  visited  ISTabulous,  and  dealing  with  a  Samari- 
tan trader  there,  accused  him  of  robbing  him  of  a  large  sum  of 
money,  and  had  him  and  many  of  his  connections  arrested  and 
cast  into  prison,  and  there  seemed  no  way  of  satisfying  the 
avarice  of  their  oppressor.  At  the  expiration  of  a  few  months 
the  priest  made  a  visit  to  the  Russian  missionaries  at  Jerusa- 
lem, and  told  the  story  of  their  wrongs.  "What  shall  we  do? 
My  people  are  in  prison.  I  have  no  means  to  help  them.  Ap- 
peals to  the  British  and  American  Consuls  have  been  in  vain; 
has  the  Russian  Consul  no  power  with  the  Turkish  authorities 
to  interfere  for  us?"  "How  much,"  said  Dr.  Levishon,  "is 
the  claim  against  the  imprisoned  parties  ? "  "  The  whole  sum 
now  demanded,  including  costs,  is  six  thousand  piasters."  "  Can 
you  not  in  some  way  raise  the  money  ? "  "  We  have  no  money ; 
my  people  are  all  poor."  "  Go  home,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  and 
bring  me  that  old  copy  of  your  scriptures,  and  you  shall  hatfe 
the  money."  Three  days  after  the  claim  of  the  persecuting 
Turk  was  paid,  the  imprisoned  persons  were  at  liberty,  and  the 
missionaries  were  rejoicing  over  the  possession  of  the  most  an- 
cient copy  of  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch  a  Christian  had  ever 
been  allowed  to  handle. 

THE    AGE    OP    THIS  MANUSCRIPT. 

Dr.  Levishon  firmly  believes  it  to  have  been  written  before  the 
destruction  of  the  first  temple!  For  this  he  assigns  the  following 
reasons:  1.  The  extreme  reserve  and  jealous  care  with  which 
the  family  at  Nabulous  guarded  it,  secreting  it  even  from  fami- 
lies of  their  own  sect;  and  the  information  derived  from  the 
priest  through  whose  agency  it  was  obtained.  2.  The  appear- 
ance of  the  manuscript,  the  manner  in  which  it  is  written,  and 
the  fact  that  the  different  books,  Genesis,  Exodus,  etc.,  are  not 
divided  into  chapters,  verses  or  sections  of  any  kind.  3.  The 
names  of  several  priests  found  in  marginal  notes  in  different 
places  in  the  volume,  which  names  correspond  with  other  gene- 
alogies in  his  possession.    4.  A  corner  of  the  book  has  been 


A  1ST    OLD  MANUSCKIPT. 


159 


scorched  by  fire,  burning  off  the  margin  so  deeply  as  even  to 
touch  a  few  of  the  letters,  showing  that  the  book  has  at  some 
time  been  in  danger  of  being  burned.  The  family  tradition 
connected  with  this  is,  that  in  ancient  times  the  building  and 
effects  where  the  book  was  kept  were  burned,  and  this  book  was 
saved  in  a  miraculous  manner.  In  corroboration  of  this,  on  a 
blank  leaf  in  the  book  is  this  remarkable  note :  "  This  book, 
which  the  fire  did  not  burn,  was  delivered  into  the  hand  of  Cy- 
rus, King  of  Persia,  in  the  presence  of  Zerubbabel,  the  priest. 
Thanks  be  to  God  for  the  preservation  of  His  holy  law  deliv- 
ered to  Moses."  This  marginal  note  has  every  evidence  of  be- 
ing genuine,  written  in  the  same  character  of  the  book,  having 
all  the  marks  of  antiquity.  The  character  in  which  it  is  written 
differs  considerably  from  the  modern  Hebrew,  being  the  same, 
the  l5octor  believes,  as  was  used  before  the  captivity,  and  the  same 
in  which  Moses  wrote.  Immediately  upon  gaining  possession 
of  this  they  abandoned  their  work  upon  the  Damascus  copy, 
and  are  now  printing  a  fac-simile  of  this,  which  will  soon  be 
ready  for  distribution.  The  old  Doctor  is  pursuing  his  work 
with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  boy ;  and  in  several  subsequent 
interviews  with  him  he  gave  me  much  information  that  he  had 
gathered  from  his  intercourse  with  this  ancient  people ;  he  also 
gave  me  specimen  pages  of  the  work  to  take  home  with  me. 
We  shall  have  more  to  say  of  these  Samaritans  when  we  visit 
Fabulous.  Should  it  prove  true,  that  in  the  secluded  Valley  of 
Ebal  and  Gerizim,  with  the  little  remnant  of  the  ancient  Sa- 
maritan race  God  has  hid  away,  and  preserved  from  remote  an- 
tiquity, copies  of  his  holy  law,  corresponding  in  all  main  par- 
ticulars to  the  records  of  the  Jews,  will  it  not  be  another  strik- 
ing manifestation  of  the  great  leading  truth  we  have  kept  in 
mind  through  this  whole  work — another  instance  of  the  Hand- 
writing of  God  to  refute  unbelief,  and  preserve  the  knowledge 
of  his  name  and  the  revelation  of  his  will  ? 

MOUNT   MORIAH   AND   THE  TEMPLE. 

There  was  yet  one  other  place  in  the  Holy  City  I  was  anxious 
to  visit,  a  place  sacred  to  the  Jew,  revered  by  the  Mussulman, 
and  intimately  connected  with  those  sacred  scenes  dear  to  the 


160 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Christian  heart— Mount  Moriah.  It  stands  now  within  the 
walls  of  the  city  between  Zion  and  Olivet,  both  of  which  rise 
considerably  above  it.  The  top  of  the  mount  has  been  graded 
down,  and  the  space  thus  leveled,  including  about  thirty-five 
acres  of  ground,  is  inclosed  by  a  massive  stone  wall.  This  in- 
closed space  is  now  called  the  Harem,  a  name  applied  by  the 
Arabs  to  any  sacred  or  prohibited  inclosure,  and  is  the  ancient 
Temple  area,  while  some  portions  of  the  wall  is  supposed  to  be 
the  same  that  Solomon  erected  when  the  Temple  was  built. 

What  a  history  that  little  Mount  Moriah  has !  What  strik- 
ing and  miraculous  events  have  here  transpired !  What  a  place 
it  fills  in  the  long  line  of  events  reaching  from  the  Father  of  the 
faithful  to  the  Redeemer  of  men  !  Near  four  thousand  years 
ago,  Abraham  came  journeying  from  Beersheba,  and  with  his 
son,  the  wood  and  the  fire,  ascended  this  mount,  reared  a  rude 
altar  of  unhewn  stone,  laid  that  son  of  his  affections  upon 
it,  and  nerving  his  heart  to  the  stern  deed,  was  about  to  obey 
the  strange  mandate  of  heaven.  There  God  staid  his  obedient 
hand,  and  gave  him  back  his  son  as  one  alive  from  the  dead ; 
and  Abraham  called  the  name  of  the  place,  "Jehovah  Jireh — 
the  Lord  will  provide  ! "  Eight  hundred  years  passed  away, 
and  still  Moriah  stood  a  monument  to  perpetuate  the  unwaver- 
ing faith  of  the  hoary  patriarch.  Ornan  the  Jebusite  had 
cleared  a  portion  of  the  hill  for  a  threshing-floor,  and  was  here 
engaged  with  his  four  sons  in  rural  labor,  when  Jerusalem,  for 
David's  sin  in  numbering  the  people,  was  threatened  with  de- 
struction. The  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  the  threshing-floor, 
having  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand  stretched  out  over  the  de- 
voted city,  and  Ornan  and  his  sons  fled  in  terror,  and  hid  them- 
selves. From  yonder  hight  of  Zion  David  saw  it,  and  was  filled 
with  consternation ;  he  clothed  himself  in  sackcloth,  and  with 
the  elders  of  Israel,  humbled  himself  before  God.  Hastening 
to  the  summit  of  the  mount,  he  built  an  altar,  sacrificed  unto 
the  Lord,  and  the  avenging  hand  was  staid.  And  David  bought 
the  threshing-floor  from  Ornan  for  six  hundred  shekels  of  gold. 
Here,  as  all  know,  under  the  prosperous  reign  of  Solomon,  the 
Temple  grew  into  symmetry  and  beauty — the  abode  of  the 
Shekinah — the  center  of  worship  to  the  chosen  people  of  God. 


THE    MOUNT    OF  GOD. 


161 


Shall  we  enter  this  inclosure  and  walk  over  these  grounds, 
once  consecrated  by  the  altar  of  God,  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the 
Ark  of  the  Covenant,  and  the  Pillar  of  Fire?  Approach  the 
entrance,  and  you  are  rudely  thrust  back  by  insolent  Turkish 
soldiers,  perhaps  insulted  and  even  stoned  by  the  lawless  Chris- 
tian-hating Mohammedans  that  hang  around  the  gates!  Why 
is  this?  Why  cannot  the  Jew  visit  the  place  where  his  fathers 
worshiped,  and  the  Christian  stand  upon  the  site  of  the  Tem- 
ple, once  a  glorious  type  of  the  spiritual  church  of  God? 

THE   TEMPLE   AND    SACRED  ROCK. 

This  little  inclosure  has  a  strange  history.  We  have  already 
alluded  to  the  early  incidents  under  Abraham,  David  and  Solo- 
mon. That  beautiful  Temple,  the  pride  and  glory  of  the  king- 
dom, the  astonishment  of  every  visitor  at  the  court  of  Solomon, 
was,  after  having  stood  over  four  hundred  years,  plundered, 
burnt,  and  left  a  heap  of  ruins  by  the  Chaldeans.  The  long 
captivity  ended,  the  Temple  was  re-built,  and  the  changes  of 
five  hundred  years  passed  over  it,  when  Herod  re-built  and 
adorned  it,  employing  eighty  thousand  workmen  nine  years, 
sparing  no  expense  to  render  it  equal  in  magnitude,  splendor 
and  beauty,  to  any  thing  among  mankind.  This  gorgeous  and 
costly  pile,  in  the  overthrow  of  the  city  by  Titus,  seventy  years 
after  Christ,  was  so  completely  demolished  the  prophecy  of  the 
Savior  was  literally  fulfilled,  not  one  stone  was  left  upon  an- 
other that  was  not  thrown  down.  About  half  a  century  after, 
Adrian,  out  of  contempt  for  the  Jews,  erected  upon  the  spot  a 
splendid  temple  to  Jupiter.  The  subsequent  history  for  many 
years  it  is  difficult  to  trace;  the  sacred  inclosure  passed  into 
different  hands,  and  underwent  many  changes. 

In  grading  the  top  of  Moriah,  near  the  center  of  the  present 
inclosure,  a  large  portion  of  the  original  rock  was  left  in  its 
rough,  native  state.  This  rock  is  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  long, 
and  from  forty  to  fifty  wide — a  bold  and  majestic  mass  of  stone, 
upon  which  no  tool  of  iron  has  left  its  mark,  the  only  surviving 
witness  of  the  long  series  of  changes  and  revolutions  of  four 
thousand  years.  This  unhewn  rock,  tradition  says,  was  Abra- 
ham's altar,  upon  which  Isaac  was  laid;  on  it  David  offered 


162 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


sacrifice,  and  this  rock,  it  is  supposed,  became  the  altar  of  burnt 
offering  in  the  temple  service.  From  this  rock  Mohammedans 
say  their  Prophet  ascended  to  heaven !  This  is  the  reason  of 
the  sacred  estimation  in  which  they  hold  it;  and  hence  the 
jealous  care  with  which  it  is  guarded  from  the  intruding  eye 
and  polluting  foot  of  the  "infidel  Christian."  For  six  hundred 
years  they  had  it  shut  up  and  closely  guarded,  and  no  Christian 
or  Jew  could  visit  the  inclosure  but  at  the  peril  of  his  life :  for 
it  is  said  the  authorities  here  had  a  firman  from  the  Sublime 
Porte  to  kill  any  one  who  should  presume  to  enter.  In  1856, 
as  a  result  of  the  wars  among  the  European  powers,  this  spirit 
of  intolerance  was  somewhat  relaxed;  avarice  triumphed  over 
reverence,  and  the  rigid  law  was  so  far  modified  that  Christians 
might  be  allowed  to  visit  the  Harem  upon  the  payment  of  five 
dollars  each. 

I  had  a  strong  desire  to  stand  on  Mount  Moriah,  and  to  visit 
the  site  of  the  ancient  Temple  of  God.  "  Shall  I,"  I  said  to 
myself,  "submit  to  this  infamous  and  unjust  tax  that  bars  en- 
trance to  a  place  that  ought  to  be  common  ground  for  Jew, 
Christian,  and  even  Pagan,  as  well  as  Mohammedan?  For  sev- 
eral days  I  debated  the  question  without  being  able  to  come  to 
any  decision.  Several  time3  I  ventured  up  to  the  gates  of  the 
inclosure,  and  as  often  was  insolently  driven  back,  and  once 
stones  were  thrown  at  me.  I  inwardly  anathematized  the  in- 
tolerance that  thus  obstructed  the  way,  and  felt  like  impreca- 
ting French  and  British  authority  and  bayonets  to  hasten  the 
work  they  have  commenced,  and  are  assuredly  destined  to  ac- 
complish. While  in  this  state  of  suspense,  the  general  of  the 
French  army  stationed  at  Beirut,  with  between  fifty  and  sixty 
of  his  officers,  arrived  at  our  convent  to  spend  Passion  Week 
in  Jerusalem.  Turkish  dependence  upon  French  authority  and 
influence  led  to  an  invitation  from  the  Governor  of  Jerusalem  to 
the  officers  to  visit  the  sacred  inclosure,  and  courtesy  extended 
the  invitation  to  other  visitors  at  the  convent.  At  an  early 
hour  of  the  morning  we  met  at  the  office  of  the  French 
Consul,  under  whose  sanction  and  guidance  the  formal  visit 
was  to  be  made.    The  gates  were  opened ;  the  Turkish  guard, 


VISIT    TO   THE  HAEEM. 


165 


with  Zouave  dress  and  bristling  bayonets,  were  passed,  and  we 
were  in  the — Harem  ! 

This  is  inclosed  by  a  high  stone  wall,  the  east  and  a  part  of 
the  southern  portion  of  it  constituting  also  the  wall  of  the  city. 
The  space  inclosed  is  about  thirty-five  acres,  adorned  with 
walks  and  shrubbery,  while  a  few  tall  cypress  trees  lift  their 
dark  forms  on  high,  adding  to  the  variety  of  the  scene. 

THE   MOSQUE   OF  OMAR 

Is  the  chief  attraction  of  the  place,  and,  next  to  the  great 
mosques  at  Mecca  and  Medina,  the  most  sacred  spot  to  the  Mo- 
hammedan. It  stands  near  the  center  of  the  in  closure,  upon 
an  elevated  platform  paved  with  marble.  The  lower  story,  or 
main  body  of  the  building,  is  a  regular  octagon,  each  side  of 
which  is  sixty-seven  feet;  the  central  and  elevated  portion  is 
circular,  and  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  high. 
The  building  is  crowned  by  a  symmetrical  and  costly  dome, 
over  which  rises  a  lofty  bronze  crescent,  adding  much  to  its 
architectural  finish  and  beauty.  The  dome,  and  upper  por- 
tions of  the  building,  are  every  where  covered  with  highly 
glazed  porcelain  tiles,  of  beautiful  and  gaudy  colors,  while  the 
lower  part  of  the  octagonal  sides  are  encased  in  rich  marble  of 
variegated  colors,  giving  to  the  whole  structure  a  polished, 
glittering  appearance.  The  sides  of  the  building  are  pierced 
by  numerous  windows,  separated  by  marble  columns.  These 
windows  are  of  the  richest  stained  glass,  through  which  floods 
of  rainbow  light  are  poured  into  the  interior.  There  are  four 
entrances,  facing  the  four  cardinal  points,  and  over  each  a 
costly  portico. 

A  Turkish  attendant,  in  military  costume,  acted  as  our  guide. 
Coming  to  the  principal  entrance,  we  laid  aside  our  boots  and 
shoes,  and  with  feet  encased  in  light  slippers,  entered  the 
sacred  precincts.  The  interior,  though  very  richly  finished, 
was  to  me  more  gaudy  than  grand.  A  large  portion  of  the 
wall  and  of  the  great  dome  appeared  to  be  lined  with  the 
same  kind  of  porcelain  tiles  that  covered  the  exterior,  though 
much  more  richly  wrought,  forming  large  gilded  and  mosaic 
pictures  of  brightest  colors.    Above  the  windows,  two  lines  of 


166 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


beautifully  interlaced  Arabic  inscriptions,  sentences  from  the 
Koran,  run  round  the  whole  interior  of  the  building,  wrought 
in  the  same  beautifully  colored  enameled  tiles,  forming  a  sort 
of  religious  cornice.  The  interior  is  one  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  feet  in  diameter.  Two  corridors,  one  thirteen  feet  wide, 
supported  by  Corinthian  columns,  and  within  this  another,  thirty 
feet  wide  the  inside  supported  by  Corinthian  piers,  together 
form  the  support  of  the  central  dome,  sixty-six  feet  in  diameter. 
Occupying  the  centre  of  this  rotunda,  is 

THE    SAKHR^H,    OR    SACRED  ROCK. 

This  rock  is  about  sixty  feet  long  from  north  to  south,  and 
about  fifty  feet  broad.  It  rises  several  feet  above  the  marble 
floor  of  the  mosque,  and,  consequently,  would  be  some  twelve  or 
fifteen  above  the  ground  beneath.  It  is  surrounded  with  a 
gilt  iron  fence,  six  or  seven  feet  high,  and  very  strongly  built, 
while  over  it  is  stretched  a  rich  awning  of  party-colored  silk. 
For  that  rock  this  costly  structure  was  built ;  for  that  rock  this 
majestic  dome  spreads  its  ample  proportions  on  high  !  That 
rock,  to  the  Jew,  is  the  most  sacred  spot  on  earth,  for  the 
rabbins  say  it  is  the  identical  rock  on  which  Jacob  pillowed 
his  head,  on  which  Abram  offered  Isaac,  by  the  side  of  which 
Oman  the  Jebusite  had  his  threshing-floor,  and  on  which 
David  offered  sacrifice ;  the  rock  that  afterwards  became  the 
altar  of  burnt-offering  for  the  great  Temple  of  Solomon  ! 

But  what  renders  this  stone  so  sacred  to  these  Mohammed- 
ans, that  for  six  hundred  years  they  shut  it  up  from  the  ap- 
proach of  Jew  or  Christian  ?  Listen  to  the  story  of  that  old 
derwish,  and  he  will  tell  you :  When  Mohammed  made  his 
celebrated  excursion  from  Arabia  to  Jerusalem,  and  thence 
through  the  heavens,  he  stood  on  this  rock,  and  from  it  bounded 
upward  to  the  celestial  spheres.  Here,  in  the  solid  rock,  is 
shown  the  print  of  his  foot,  and  while  the  rock,  starting  from  its 
resting  place,  would  have  followed  him  in  his  serial  flight,  here 
are  to  be  seen  the  marks  of  the  angel's  hand  as  he  held  it  down  ! 
He  will  also  further  assure  you,  that  from  that  time  till  now, 
this  holy  rock  has  remained  suspended  in  the  air,  requiring  no 
support  but  the  miraculous  power  of  God !    True,  there  is  a 


THE    HOLY    ROCK.  167 

cave  beneath  the  rock,  with  walls  of  heavy  stone  masonry,  but 
he  will  assure  you  these  walls  do  not  support  a  single  ounce 
weight  of  the  stone,  but  are  only  placed  there  to  hold  the 
rock  in  case  the  supernatural  power  that  sustains  it  should  at 
any  moment  be  withdrawn !  Such  is  the  Moslem  legend  of 
the  Holy  Kock ;  such  the  origin  of  the  superstitious  reverence 
with  which  it  is  regarded. 

When  Lamartine  visited  Jerusalem,  in  1832,  in  a  familiar 
conversation  with  the  governor  of  the  city,  "  Why  "  said  he, 
"  will  you  not  allow  us  to  visit  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  ? " 
"There  is  one  place  by  that  holy  rock  from  which  prayer  is 
always  answered ;  should  a  Christian  go  there,  he  would  pray 
from  God  the  ruin  of  the  religion  of  the  Prophet,  and  the  ex- 
termination of  the  Moslems."  "  God  preserve  me,"  said  Lam- 
ertine,  "from  abusing  your  hospitality,  and  exposing  you  to 
danger !  If  I  were  in  the  mosque  El  Sakhrah,  I  would  'pray, 
not  for  the  extermination  of  any  people,  but  for  the  enlighten- 
ment and  the  happiness  of  all  the  children  of  Allah." 

A  distinguished  American  traveler,  whose  books  have  been 
extensively  read,  after  having  looked  through  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Sepulchre,  seen  the  jealousies  and  feuds  of  rival  sects, 
witnessed  the  superstitious  ceremonies,  and  listened  to  the 
foolish  and  marvellous  legends,  turns  away  in  disgust,  and  says: 
"  Were  I  cast  here,  ignorant  of  any  religion,  and  were  I  to 
compare  the  lives  and  practices  of  these  different  sects  as  the 
means  of  making  my  choice — in  short,  to  judge  of  each  faith 
by  the  conduct  of  its  professors — I  should  at  once  turn  Mussul- 
man." Why  this  hasty  conclusion,  unfavorable  to  our  holy  re- 
ligion? He  found  these  Christians  divided  into  conflicting 
sects.  Inquire  among  these  Moslems,  if  they  too  are  not  sepa- 
rated into  contending  castes  and  factions.  True,  the  stolid 
Turk  and  ignorant  Arab  may  manifest  less  zeal  and  activity 
in  religious  controversy  than  the  energies  of  a  Christian  faith 
inspire,  but  the  same  evil  of  discord  is  in  his  heart.  He  found 
among  these  Christians  a  firman  from  the  Sultan,  yet  unre- 
pealed, allowing  them  to  put  to  death  any  one  of  a  different 
religion,  who  should  intrude  into  their  churches,  and  he  tells 
us  "  a  Jew  found  in  the  Church*  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  would 


168 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


oe  lucky  if  he  escaped  with  his  life."  Did  he  forget  that 
the  Moslem  has  the  same  firman  ?  and  would  it  not  have 
been  at  the  peril  of  his  own  life,  had  he  attempted  to  have 
intruded  into  the  sacred  Harem?  Could  he  buy  "a  piece  of 
the  stone  covering  of  the  Savior's  tomb,  certified  as  genuine  by 
a  Greek  patriarch,"  or  see  at  Bethlehelm  "the  pit  where  the 
twelve  thousand  innocents  slain  by  Herod  were  buried,"  and 
numerous  other  absurd  places  and  things?  Well,  charge 
them,  if  you  please,  with  all  that.  Have  not  these  Moslems 
this  rock  hanging  in  the  air,  with  the  print  of  Mohammed's 
foot,  and  the  marks  of  Gabriel's  fingers?  Under  that  rock 
will  they  not  show  you  a  well  through  which  the  wicked  de- 
scend into  purgatory?  Have  they  not  here  a  pair  of  scales  for 
weighing  the  souls  of  men  ? — the  shield  of  Mohammed  ? — the 
birds  of  Paradise  ? — the  pomegranates  of  Solomon  ? — the  saddle 
of  El  Borak,  on  which  the  Prophet  made  his  serial  journey? 
Have  they  not  here  a  well  of  soul-refreshing  water,  opening 
into  Paradise?  and  do  they  not  declare  that  all  the  waters  in 
the  world  issue  from  beneath  this  Harem?  Will  they  not 
show  you  a  portion  of  a  pillar  projecting  from  the  east  wall  of 
the  Area,  on  which  Mohammed  will  sit  when  he  comes  to  judge 
the  world?  and  do  they  not  affirm  there  is  a  wire,  invisible  to 
all  infidels,  stretched  from  this  mosque  to  yonder  summit  of 
Olivet,  on  which  the  souls  of  the  faithful  cross  the  valley,  and 
from  the  mount  ascend  to  Paradise !  And  again,  that  Moham- 
med, in  that  wondrous  journey,  when  he  planted  his  feet  on 
this  rock,  traveled  with  such  astonishing  rapidity  that  he  came 
from  Mecca  here,  and  went  from  this  through  the  seven 
heavens,  held  several  conversations  with  Moses,  and  yet  re- 
turned in  time  to  prevent  the  falling  of  a  silver  urn  that 
Gabriel,  in  the  commencement  of  his  flight,  accidentally  struck 
with  his  wing ! 

"But  these,"  you  say,  "are  idle  tales;  who  believes  them?" 
So  you  may  say  of  the  traditional  fables  of  Christians;  they 
originated  in  the  darker  days  of  ignorance  and  superstition, 
and  the  legendary  stories  continue  to  be  repeated ;  yet  who 
but  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  believes  them  ?  These 
things  are  blemishes  that  stain'  the  purity  and  mar  the  beauty 


TWO    RELIGIONS  COMPARED. 


169 


of  any  system  of  faith,  but  neither  this  religion  or  that  is  re- 
sponsible for  them ;  they  spring  directly  from  the  root  of  igno- 
rant and  depraved  human  nature.  They  may  appear  worse  in 
Christians,  because  there  we  expect  better  things ;  there  they 
are  deeper  shades  in  contrast  with  stronger  lights. 

And  what  superior  purity  of  character,  acts  of  devotion, 
deeds  of  charity  and  benevolence,  or  spirit  of  enterprise  and 
improvement,  did  our  traveler  find^in  these  followers  of  the 
Prophet  ?  In  morals  I  should  not  hesitate  to  challenge  a  com- 
parison, believing  that  even  Jerusalem  Christians,  with  all 
their  errors  and  disadvantages,  will  still  bear  the  palm ;  while 
in  deeds  of  charity,  of  benevolence,  in  attention  to  the  poor, 
in  hospitals  and  care  for  the  sick,  in  schools,  enterprise,  and 
public  improvements,  they  are  far,  far  in  advance  of  their  indo- 
lent Moslem  neighbors.  I  have  alluded  to  these  things  to  show 
that  Christianity,  even  here,  in  the  midst  of  all  its  corruptions, 
will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  the  best  forms  of  a  false  re- 
ligion. After  seeing  the  two  religions  side  by  side  in  the  Holy 
City,  after  tracing  their  influence,  as  seen  in  these  eastern 
countries,  could  I  look  no  farther,  and  were  I  left  to  choose,  I 
should  still  say,  give  me  Christianity,  even  with  its  blemishes  of 
heresy,  its  burden  of  ceremonies,  its  drapery  of  superstitions 
and  traditions — in  view  of  all  these  things  I  would  still  prefer 
the  priest  to  the  derwish ;  put  the  bands,  crozier,  and  mitre  be- 
fore the  turban,  elevate  the  cross  above  the  crescent! 

But  how  our  thoughts  are  wandering  from  this  wonderful 
rock,  by  the  side  of  which  we  stand  !  The  truth  is,  this  famous 
rock,  so  far  from  being  suspended  in  mid  air,  is  a  part  of  the 
solid  mountain  itself.  In  grading  down  the  top  of  the  hill,  to 
make  the  broad  and  beautiful  area  that  now  constitutes  its  sum- 
mit, this  portion  of  the  native  rock  was  left  unhewn,  and  un- 
polished, for  what  reason  it  is  difficult  now  to  tell.  About  it 
Oman  might  have  had  his  threshing-floor;  on  it  Abraham, 
David  and  Solomon  may  have  offered  sacrifices ;  it  seems  more 
than  probable.  What  changes  and  revolutions  that  old  rock 
has  witnessed !  There  it  has  stood  through  all  the  mutations  of 
this  holy  mount ;  Pagau,  Jewish  and  Christian  rites  have  been 
performed  upon  it;  and  now,  honored  and  protected  by  that 


170 


THE   HOLY  LAND. 


costly  and  graceful  dome,  the  muezzin's  call  summons  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Prophet  to  worship  about  it.  It  did  not  fall  from 
the  heavens,  as  the  Moslems  affirm,  but  was  formed  here  by 
the  hand  of  Creative  Power.  Here  it  has  stood,  and  here  it 
will  stand,  a  part  of  the  solid  foundations  of  the  globe  itself, 
needing  no  angel's  hand  to  hold  it  down,  or  special  divine 
agency  to  hold  it  up  ! 

OTHER    SIGHTS   IN   THE    TEMPLE  AREA. 

Leaving  the  Mosque  of  Omar  and  the  Sacred  Rock,  we  were 
next  taken  to  the  Mosque  El  Aska,  standing  near  the  south- 
western corner  of  the  inclosure.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  same 
building  erected  in  the  sixth  century  by  Justinian  for  a  Chris- 
tian church,  and  dedicated  by  him  to  the  Virgin  Mary.  It 
escaped  destruction  when  Jerusalem  was  sacked  by  the  Per- 
sians, under 'Caliph  Omar,  A.  D.  636.  It  has  been  altered  and 
remodeled  through  successive  architectural  eras,  till  it  now 
presents  a  curious  specimen  of  the  composite  order.  It  is  a 
monster  building,  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long,  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty- three  broad,  and  the  dome,  though  smaller,  is 
nearly  as  high  as  the  Dome  of  the  Rock.  Between  El  Aska 
and  the  outer  wall  is  another  mosque,  one  hundred  feet  in 
length  and  seventy  in  breadth,  used  chiefly  for  educational 
purposes.  A  short  distance  from  this  is  a  mosque  of  the  West- 
ern African  negroes,  called  Mugrabin,  a  single  hall,  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  feet  long,  and  twenty-five  wide.  Besides 
these,  there  are  numerous  smaller  structures,  mosques,  colon- 
ades,  porticoes,  fountains  and  praying  places.  One  of  these 
structures  is  called  the  Mosque  of  Jesus;  another  the  Dome  of 
Solomon,  said  to  mark  the  place  where  Solomon  stood  to  pray 
at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple. 

In  the  east  wall  of  the  Harem  (No.  16)  is  the  Golden  Gate. 
The  massive  columns  that  support  the  arch  project  far  into 
the  interior  of  the  grounds,  and  the  whole  forms  a  majestic 
and  imposing  piece  of  architecture.  When  and  by  whom  this 
gate  was  built,  and  whether  it  corresponds  with  one  of  the 
ancient  temple  gates,  it  is  now  impossible  to  tell.  It  has  also 
been  walled  up  from  time  immemorial,  the  destruction  of  the 


THE    TEMPLE    AEE  A. 


171 


terraces  on  the  east  of  Moriah,  forming  a  descent  into  the 
valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  rendering  a  gate  in  that  part  of  the 
area  useless.  Tradition  affirms  it  to  be  the  gate  through  which 
the  Son  of  God  made  his  triumphant  entry  into  the  city,  and 
also  the  one  through  which  the  Emperor  Heraclius  entered, 
bearing  in  triumph  the  cross  he  had  recovered  from  the  Per- 
sians. Among  the  antique  and  wonderful  things  of  the 
Temple  area,  are  the  old  substructions,  and 

UNDERGROUND    WELLS    AND  RESERVOIRS. 

The  existence  of  these  wTas  known  and  spoken  of  by  Jose- 
phus,  but  in  the  subsequent  change  of  masters  to  which  the 
place  was  subjected,  some  of  them  were  almost  entirely  lost 
sight  of.  The  hostility  of  the  present  occuyants  for  a  long 
time  prevented  explorations,  and  it  is  only  recently  that  any 
accurate  knowledge  of  them  has  been  obtained.  Since  the 
opening  of  the  Harem  to  Frank  visitors,  Dr.  Barclay  has  been 
permitted  to  make  explorations  and  measurements,  the  results 
of  which  he  has  embodied  in  his  elaborate  work.  It  appears 
that  in  leveling  the  area,  the  southwest  corner  of  the  grounds 
was  so  much  lower  than  other  portions,  it  was  found  easier  to 
build  vaults  and  arches  than  to  fill  the  depressions  with  solid 
work.  Thus  there  are  now  found  underground  long  colon- 
ades  and  arches,  rooms  and  recesses.  In  other  places,  vaults 
have  been  formed  by  excavating  the  solid  rock  of  the  hill. 
These  underground  works,  Dr.  Barclay  thinks,  are  of  the 
highest  antiquity,  as  they  possess  the  peculiar  features  of  Jew- 
ish architecture.  Probably  portions  of  them  were  built  by 
Solomon  himself,  and  have  been  often  traversed  by  that  Royal 
Monarch  of  Israel  and  his  successors.  There  are  many  pas- 
sages here  hundreds  of  feet  long,  entirely  under  ground,  sup- 
ported by  columns,  and  covered  with  arches.  Some  suppose 
that  much  of  the  costly  furniture  and  treasures  of  the  ancient 
temple  yet  lie  concealed  in  some  of  these  subterranean  vaults. 
What  became  of  the  sacred  ark,  with  its  mercy  seat  and  cheru- 
bims  of  solid  gold,  has  long  been  a  mystery ;  and  many  of  those 
old  Jews,  who  weep  by  yonder  wall,  will  tell  you  they  believe 


172 


• 

THE    HOLY  LAND. 


it  lies  concealed  in  some  hidden  recess  beneath  the  Temple  area, 
and  in  the  fullness  of  time  it  will  be  restored  to  Israel. 

We  have  before  alluded  to  the  Mohammedan  notion  that  all 
the  waters  in  -the  world  issue  from  beneath  the  Sacred  Rock 
of  Mt.  Moriah  !  and  have  also  mentioned  the  fact  that  ancient 
Jerusalem,  with  its  immense  population,  in  all  its  protracted 
sieges,  seems  never  to  have  suffered  for  a  supply  of  water. 
There  seems  to  be  much  of  mystery  about  these  supplies  of 
water  for  the  Holy  City,  both  in  ancient  and  modern  times. 
Dr.  Barclay,  in  alluding  to  this,  says  that  Siloam  is  the  only 
perennial  fountain  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  and  that  there 
is  but  one  well  of  living  water  in  the  limits  of  the  city,  and  one 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  without!  Still,  there  is  always  a 
fair  supply  of  water.  There  are  many  reservoirs  where  rain 
water  is  treasured  up,  many  deep  wells  with  water,  but  they 
seem  to  be  dependent  on  the  rains  and  cess-pools  for  the  waters 
they  afford.  In  making  these  subterranean  explorations  in  the 
Harem,  upon  removing  in  one  place  a  half-buried  marble  capi- 
tal, the  Doctor  observed  a  rude  subterranean  passage,  leading 
to  a  flight  of  steps.  Torches  were  at  once  procured  and  a 
descent  made.  A  broad  flight  of  forty-four  steps,  cut  in  the 
solid  rock,  brought  them  to  an  immense  cavern,  containing  a 
beautiful  sheet  of  water !  He  spent  considerable  time  in  ex- 
ploring and  making  an  accurate  sketch  of  this  wonderful 
underground  lake,  the  knowledge  of  which  appears  to  have 
been  almost  entirely  lost  to  the  Franks,  and  of  which  even  the 
Turks  of  the  Harem  seemed  to  know  but  little.  It  is  seven 
hundred  and  thirty-six  feet  in  circumference,  and  forty  feet 
deep !  though  when  he  explored  it  he  found  only  about  two 
feet  of  water  covering  the  bottom.  This,  he  says,  is  no  doubt 
the  "sea"  of  which  the  son  of  Sirach  and  the  commissioner  of 
King  Ptolmey  speak  in  such  rapturous  terms.  Though  the 
Doctor  says  he  discovered  no  fountain  in  connection  with  it, 
still  such  fountain  may  exist ;  he  was  also  told  by  one  of  the 
old  keepers  who  had  before  visited  the  place,  that  the  aque- 
duct from  Solomon's  Pool  leads  into  this  reservoir.  There  is 
also  another  large  reservoir  under  the  Mosque  El  Aska,  which 
probably  has  a  connection  with  this.    When  opportunity  occurs 


■WONDERFUL  RESERVOIR. 


173 


for  a  thorough  exploration  of  these  wonderful  chambers,  we 
shall  probably  be  able  to  account  for  the  mysterious  flow  of 
the  waters  of  Siloam,  of  which  we  have  before  given  an  account, 
and  perhaps  may  be  able  to  understand  how  the  ancient  city 
was  so  remarkably  supplied,  and  how  the  notion  has  arisen 
among  Jews,  Christians  and  Mohammedans,  of  the  miraculous 
streams  that  flow  from  the  throne,  altar,  and  oracle  of  God. 

On  emerging  from  the  Mosque  El  Aska,  a  servant  returned 
us  our  boots  and  shoes,  and  we  spent  an  hour  strolling  about 
the  grounds. .  We  climbed  upon  the  wall  near  the  southeast 
comer  of  the  inclosure,  and  looked  down  into  the  Valley  of  Je- 
hoshaphat.  The  wall  here  is  built  up  from  the  side  of  the  hill, 
so  as  to  enlarge  the  Temple  area  by  filling  in  from  the  inside; 
thus  the  exterior  of  the  wall  is  between  seventy  and  eighty  feet 
high.  Upon  some  pinnacle  of  the  Temple  crowning  this  high 
wall,  I  imagined  it  was,  where  the  tempter  set  the  Savior,  when 
he  said :  "  If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thyself  down."  A  fall 
from  the  pinnacle  of  the  Temple  to  the  foundation  of  the  build- 
ing might  have  been  fearful,  but  a  fall  down  this,  giddy  bight 
to  the  valley  below,  would  have  been  certain  destruction. 

What  strange  reflections  came  crowding  upon  me  as  I  slowly 
walked  across  the  great  inclosure  to  the  exit  gate.  It  was  no 
slight  privilege  to  stand  upon  ground  that  had  been  conse- 
crated by  the  feet  of  angels,  and  hallowed  by  a  series  of  sacrifi- 
ces, reaching  from  Melchisedek  to  Jesus.  Here  stood  the  Tem- 
ple of  the  living  God ;  here  Abraham,  David  and  Solomon  had 
worshiped.  Here  stood  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  streaming  with 
the  daily  oblation  of  blood ;  here  the  golden  altar  from  which 
the  morning  and  the  evening  incense  ascended  to  heaven.  Here 
were  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  the  Cheru- 
bim: here  the  Shekinah  found  a  resting  place,  and  here  the 
Holiest  of  all  in  the  person  of  Jesus  came  and  worshiped  and 
taught.  But  this  mount,  over  wThich  I  now  walk,  has  not  only 
been  consecrated  by  all  these  hallowed  scenes;  alas!  it  has  been 
polluted  by  unsanctified  offerings  and  stained  by  the  bloodiest 
of  human  massacre  !  Here  Pagans  came  to  demolish  the  Tem- 
ple of  God,  and  rear  up  their  idolatrous  altars.  Here  Jews, 
Christians  and  Moslems  have  contended  for  the  mastery.  What 


174 


THE    HOLY    L  A  JN  U. 


pen  can  portray  that  terrible  scene,  when  the  inmates  of  this 
great  city,  besieged  and  driven  by  Titus,  fled  to  their  sanc- 
tuary, and  took  refuge  within  these  walls  as  their  last  strong- 
hold; when  fire  and  sword  finished  the  work  ghastly  famine 
had  commenced,  and  heaps  on  heaps  of  the  gory  slain  were 
piled  about  the  courts  of  their  burning  Temple !  What  still 
more  fearful  scenes  of  carnage  were  witnessed,  when,  in  subse- 
quent times,  the  Crusaders  came  to  expel  the  Moslem  hordes 
that  had  here  intrenched  themselves — when  Tancred  led  his 
host,  thirsting  for  vengeance,  to  this  sacred  inclosure,  and  this 
ground  was  given  up  to  the  most  barbarous  excesses — when 
more  than  ten  thousand  of  the  followers  of  the  Prophet  were 
massacred  in  this  very  inclosure,  and  this  beautiful  area  was 
ankle  deep  in  blood!  What  a  revolution  followed,  when,  in 
less  than  one  hundred  years  after,  Saladin  came  and  expelled 
the  Christians,  again  set  up  the  standard  of  Islam,  pulled  down 
the  golden  cross  from  its  lofty  eminence,  trailed  it  upon  the 
ground,  and  again  hung  the  crescent  high  in  the  air!  Were 
not  all  these  things  in  the  mind  of  the  Savior,  when,  from  yon- 
der side  of  Olivet,  he  saw  the  coming  fate  of  the  city  and  Tem- 
ple, and  wept  in  view  of  the  approaching  calamities? 

0  Moriah,  what  changes  thou  hast  witnessed  !  How  glorious 
have  been  thy  consecrations;  how  terrible  thy  baptisms  of 
blood!  How  thou  hast  been  enshrined  in  the  hopes  and  affec- 
tions of  the  devout  through  a  long  succession  of  generations! 
Christian  and  Moslem  revere  thee,  and  the  Jew  comes  to  weep 
over  thy  ruins.  Mount  of  Jehovah  Jireh,  thou  hast  fulfilled 
thy  mission !  Shorn  of  thy  beauty  and  glory,  here  thou  stand- 
est,  another  of  the  monumental  piles  of  the  past,  thy  very  name 
a  historic  record,  and  this  great  rock-hewn  terrace  one  of 
God's  imperishable  tablets,  on  which  he  has  written  with  his 
own  hand  lessons  of  warning  and  instruction  none  can  misun- 
derstand ! 


A   WALK   IN   THE  COUNTRY. 


175 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Foot  Excursions  about  Jerusalem — Home  of  Old  Samuel — 
Excursion  to  Bethlehem  and  Hebron. 

We  have  seen  the  prominent  places  of  interest  in  the  Holy 
City  and  its  immediate  vicinity ;  let  us  now  extend  our  excur- 
sions to  the  neighboring  towns,  and  see  what  we  can  find  use- 
ful and  instructive.  Horses  can  be  hired  for  these  excursions 
for  thirty  piasters,  or  about  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  a  day,  and 
guides  for  one  and  a  half  to  tw  o  dollars.  I  had  a  dread  of 
guides  and  dragomen,  and  as  for  horses,  it  was  much  more 
pleasant  to  wander  at  one's  leisure  across  the  fields,  down  into 
the  glens  and  up  the  mountain  sides,  where  beasts  of  burden 
couid  not  go. 

About  9  o'clock  A.  M.,  several  of  us  passed  out  of  the  Da- 
mascus Gate,  and  wandered  off  into  the  country  north  of  the 
city.  We  took  no  guides,  intending  to  find  our  way  as  best  we 
could.  Our  first  point  of  destination  was  Neby  Samuel,  the 
supposed  Mizpeh  of  scripture.  This  we  could  easily  see  about 
five  miles  distant,  its  summit  crowned  with  an  old,  dilapidated 
mosque.  We  started  off  in  the  direction,  passing  by  the  tombs 
of  the  Judges,  but  leaving  their  examination  for  a  subsequent 
visit.  Occasionally  we  could  trace  the  remains  of  the  old  Ro- 
man road  that  ran  in  this  direction,  the  heavy  stone  pavement 
being  still  visible.  We  clambered  up  rocky  hills  and  down 
into  rocky  ravines,  over  stony  pathways  almost  impassable. 
At  last  we  reached  the  base,  and  then,  by  a  circuitous  path, 
climbed  the  rocky  sides  of  Keby  (Prophet)  Samuel.  It  rises 
abruptly  between  five  hundred  and  six  hundred  feet  above  the 
little  plain  of  Gibeon.  Its  sides  have  been  terraced,  and  were 
once  cultivated  to  the  verv  top.    In  some  places  the  vine  is  still 

i 


176  THE    HOLT  L'aND. 

seen,  and  the  fig  tree  grows,  but  over  most  of  the  hill  the  ter- 
races have  fallen  into  decay,  and  the  rains  have  washed  away 
the  soil,  leaving  nothing  visible  but  an  ugly  mass  of  barren 
rocks.  And  such  is  the  case  with  the  whole  section  of  country. 
This  hill,  as  one  has  justly  remarked,  "is  the  culminating 
point  of  the  whole  mountain  region  round  the  Holy  City."  No 
other  peak  in  Southern  Palestine  gives  one  so  extensive  a  view 
of  the  country  as  this.    This  is  supposed  to  be 

THE    ANCIENT  MIZPEH. 

The  name  signifies  "a  place  of  look-out."  According  to  an 
early  tradition,  it  is  the  Pamathaim-Zaphim,  the  birth-place, 
residence,  and  burial-place  of  the  Prophet  Samuel.  It  was 
here  at  this  conspicuous  hill  that  Israel  was  assembled  together, 
when  they  made  a  solemn  vow  never  to  return  to  their  homes 
until,  they  had  punished  the  inhabitants  of  Gibea  for  the 
shocking  crime  committed  in  that  city.  Here  the  old  Prophet 
of  the  Lord  called  them  together,  on  another  occasion,  to  pun- 
ish their  enemies,  the  Philistines,  on  which  occasion  they  gained 
a  decisive  victory  over  them,  and  "  Samuel  took  a  stone,  and 
set  it  between  Mizpeh  and  Shem,  and  called  the  name  of  it 
Ebeyiezer,  saying,  i  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us.' "  Here 
Israel  assembled  to  elect  their  king.  The  choice  fell  upon  Saul, 
and  from  the  multitudes  of  Israel  there  went  up,  for  the  first 
time,  the  shout,  "  God  save  the  King!  "  The  Crusaders  erected 
on  this  commanding  eminence  a  convent  and  a  church,  the  re- 
mains of  which  are  still  visible.  Some  of  the  foundations  are 
hewn  deeply  in  the  solid  rock.  During  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity, the  Chaldean  Governor  resided  here,  and  at  this  place 
he  was  assassinated  by  the  Jews.  Here,  too,  it  is  said,  Richard 
the  III,  having  advanced  his  camp  from  Ajalon,  stood  and 
looked  upon  Jerusalem,  and  buried  his  face  in  his  armor  and 
exclaimed :  "  Ah,  Lord  God !  I  pray  that  I  may  never  see  the 
Holy  City,  if  I  may  not  rescue  it  from  the  hands  of  thine 
enemies." 

The  great  antiquity  of  the  place,  the  number  of  interesting 
events  connected  with  it,  the  extensive  view  of  the  surrounding 
country  that  here  opened  upon  us,  made  it  to  us  one  of  the 


HOME    OF  SAMUEL. 


177 


most  interesting  localities  among  all  our  visits  about  Jerusalem. 
A  few  miserable  houses,  not  more  than  twelve  or  fifteen  in 
number,  now  clustered  around  the  old  ruined  mosque,  consti- 
tute the  whole  of  the  present  village.  The  few  villagers  gath- 
ered around  us,  anxious  to  accommodate  us  in  any  way  they 
could,  that  they  might  claim  a  backsheesh.  At  the  door  of  one 
of  the  hovels  a  girl  was  churning.  The  milk  was  tied  up  in  a 
goat-skin  sack,  and  suspended  from  the  limb  of  a  fig  tree;  to 
this  she  had  attached  a  string  and  was  moving  it  with  sudden 
jerks  backward  and  forward — a  simple  and  novel  method  of 
performing  this  common  operation.  One  of  my  friends  feeling 
thirsty,  asked  for  leb-an  (milk).  A  dirty  looking  woman 
brought  a  bowl  of  buttermilk,  richly  ornamented  with  streaks 
of  dirt.  My  friend  looked  at  it,  shook  his  head,  and  hesitated; 
at  last,  mustering  resolution,  he  blowed  away,  as  best  he  could, 
the  dirty  scum,  and  took  a  drink,  and  then  offered  the  bowl  to 
me,  but  I  was  not  thirsty.  We  had  amongst  us  but  a  very  few 
words  of  Arabic,  and  could  hold  but  little  communication  with 
the  natives.  Among  the  children  who  gathered  around  us, 
was  a  girl  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old,  with  a  head-dress  or- 
namented with  silver  coins.  It  was  of  the  same  pattern  as  is 
usually  worn  by  the  girls  here,  but  so  much  more  of  a  fancy 
article  than  the  most  I  had  seen,  I  had  a  strong  desire  to  take 
it  home  with  me  as  a  curiosity.  I  bantered  with  the  father  as 
best  I  could  by  signs  and  the  few  Arabic  words  I  could  com- 
mand,  and  at  last  concluded  a  bargain  at  one  dollar  and  a  half. 
The  roguish-looking  girl  watched  the  progress  of  the  bargain 
until  her  father  called  upon  her  to  surrender  the  crown  of  her 
costume,  when  she  made  a  sudden  retreat  to  the  rear  of  the  mud 
cottages,  and  no  persuasions  could  induce  her  to  give  it  up.  I 
found  the  girls  set  a  high  estimate  upon  this  article  of  dress, 
and  it  is  very  difficult  to  purchase  one.  1  made  several  at- 
tempts, and  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  one  at  Bethlehem,  for 
which  I  paid  as  high  as  six  dollars,  but  it  was  richly  orna- 
mented with  a  heavy  border  of  coins. 

Having  finished  our  visit  at  Neby  Samuel,  distributed  a  few 
piasters  among  the  children,  and  given  a  backsheesh  to  the 
sheik  for  the  privilege  of  ascending  the  minaret  of  their  old 


178 


THE    HOLT  LAND. 


mosque,  we  took  our  departure.  On  the  side  of  the  hill  below 
the  town  we  sat  down  under  the  shade  of  an  old  olive  tree  and 
took  our  lunch.  We  passed  down  the  hill  and  across  the  val- 
ley about  one  mile,  nearly  due  north,  and  then  ascending  again 
an  isolated  hill,  and  we  were  in 

EL-JIB,    OR  GIBEON. 

Around  this  there  lies  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  fertile 
plains  of  central  Palestine,  and  this  place,  like  the  one  we  have 
just  left,  is  noted  for  the  many  historic  and  scriptural  events 
that  have  transpired  here.  It  is  spoken  of  in  the  old  Testa- 
ment as  "  a  great  city,  one  of  the  royal  cities."  Here  lived  the 
people,  who,  when  the  Israelites  invaded  the  land,  gathered  their 
old  tattered  garments,  and  worn-out  shoes,  and  packed  their 
sacks  with  musty  bread,  and  came  with  their  hungry,  jaded 
animals,  and  beguiled  Joshua  and  the  leaders  of  Israel  into  a 
treaty  of  peace.  It  was  certainly  a  very  clever  trick,  and  we 
must  give  the  former  inhabitants  of  Gibeon  credit  for  great 
shrewdness. 

This  town,  like  others  all  over  Palestine,  has  gone  to  decay : 
yet  as  one  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  few  dilapidated  buildings, 
and  calls  to  mind  the  events  that  have  transpired  here,  visions 
of  its  former  greatness  rise  upon  the  imagination.  On  that 
little  plain  that  meets  your  eye  as  you  look  down  from  the  hill, 
the  five  kings  of  the  Amorites  assembled  together  to  punish 
Gibeon.  Turn  to  the  east  and  look  towards  Gilgal.  There 
Joshua  and  his  host  were  encamped.  One  night's  march,  and 
they  come  with  the  morning  sun  pouring  over  that  rocky  em- 
inence, and  the  Amorites  are  discomfited.  The  day  is  not 
long  enough  for  Israel  to  continue  the  conquest,  and  Joshua 
gives  that  ever  memorable  command,  "  Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon 
Gibeon,  and  thou  moon  in  the  Yalley  of  Ajalon."  And  the 
sun  stood  still,  and  the  moon  stayed  until  the  people  avenged 
themselves  upon  their  enemies. 

As  we  came  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  we  wished  to  see  the 
"  Pool  of  Gibeon,"  but  did  not  know  where  to  find  it.  Just 
then  a  young  Gibeonite  met  us,  with  a  hoe  upon  his  shoulder, 
going  to  his  work  in  the  field.    All  we  could  say  was,  Moiya 


VISIT   TO  GIBEON. 


179 


(water).  He  seemed  immediately  to  comprehend  our  meaning, 
and  led  us  to  the  east  side  of  the  hill  and  about  half-way  up  to 
the  town,  where  we  came  upon  the  remarkable  spring  or  pool. 
There  is  first  a  natural  cavity  or  grotto  in  the  rock.  Then  an 
inner  chamber  has  been  excavated  by  art,  which  is  entered  by 
a  low,  narrow  opening  down  several  stone  steps.  Here  a  copi- 
ous fountain  of  water  gushes  from  the  apparently  solid  rock. 
We  stopped  and  refreshed  ourselves  at  this  fountain.  A  little 
below  it  on  the  hill-side  are  the  ruins  of  a  large  reservoir, 
once  probably  used  to  retain  the  waters  brought  into  it  from 
the  fountain  above.  It  was  here  by  this  pool  that  that  remark- 
able meeting  took  place  between 

ABNER   AND  JOAB. 

They  came  at  the  head  of  their  respective  armies  of  Israel 
and  Judah.  Twelve  men  of  Judah  were  challenged  to  fight 
with  twelve  men  of  Israel.  The  termination  of  the  bloody 
tragedy  all  Bible  readers  remember.  The  whole  twenty-four 
were  slain  :  "  For  they  caught  every  one  his  fellow  by  the  head, 
and  thrust  his  sword  in  his  fellow's  side,  so  that  they  fell  down 
together."  And  on  that  plain  just  at  our  feet  the  subsequent 
battle  took  place.  Abner  was  defeated  and  the  swift  footed 
Asahel  slain.  At  this  city,  also,  David's  nephew,  Amasa,  was 
treacherously  slain  by  his  cousin  Joab.  Here,  too,  on  Gibeon, 
Solomon  offered  up  his  thousand  burnt  offerings,  and  here  the 
Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream,  and  gave  him  the  desire  of 
his  heart,  "wisdom  and  understanding." 

We  went  up  into  the  village,  sad  remnant  of  glory  departed, 
and  mingled  a  little  while  with  the  inhabitants.  The  sheik,  a 
large,  venerable  looking  old  man,  treated  us  with  great  kind- 
ness. He  pointed  to  his  hut  or  house  and  said,  "coffee"  but 
we  excused  ourselves,  for  we  had  no  relish  for  any  thing  com- 
ing from  these  dirty  hovels.  He  took  us  into  a  large  room, 
with  rush  mats  upon  the  floor,  and  signified  that  we  could  stay 
all  night  and  sleep  there.  But  this  kind  offer  we  again  de- 
clined. When  the  children  in  their  eager  curiosity  gathered 
too  close  around  us,  he  scolded  them  away ;  and  when  we  had 


180 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


finished  our  visit  and  given  him  a  backsheesh,  he  pressed  our 
hands  and  kissed  them,  and  even  shed  tears  at  our  departure. 

It  was  between  3  and  4  o'clock,  and  we  had  now  near  six 
miles  of  rough  and  hilly  road  between  us  and  Jerusalem,  and 
must  reach  the  gates  before  sunset.  We  bade  farewell  to 
Gibeon,  and  as  we  turned  away  we  could  not  but  reflect  upon 
the  many" striking  illustrations  of  scripture  we  meet  at  almost 
every  step  in  this  ancient  land.  As  we  entered  the  village;  cne 
of  the  first  things  we  met  was  a  woman  at  work  with  a  large, 
round  stone,  grinding  to  powder  a  hard  crystaline  substance, 
for  what  purpose  I  could  not  ascertain ;  and  as  we  took  our  de- 
parture down  the  hill  we  met  others,  some  staggering  under 
heavy  burdens  of  wood,  others  of  water  borne  upon  the  head, 
forcibly  reminding  one  of  the  penalties  imposed  upon  them  in 
the  days  of  Joshua,  when  they  made  them  hewers  of  wood  and 
drawers  of  water.  A  weary  walk,  and  our  excursion  was  ended. 
Just  as  the  setting  sun  was  bathing  with  his  golden  light  the 
western  hills,  we  entered  Damascus  Gate,  and  were  soon  enjoy- 
ing with  keen  appetites  the  hospitable  fare  of  our  Franciscan 
friends. 

FOOT   EXCURSIONS  CONTINUED. 

We  had  other  places  of  interest  to  visit,  lying  northeast  of 
the  city,  and  again  we  started  for  another  day's  ramble  among 
the  rocky  hills  and  passes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin.  Leaving 
the  city  by  St.  Stephen's  Gate  and  crossing  the  Valley  of  Jehosh- 
aphat,  we  ascended  the  Scopus  ridge.  It  was  on  this  hill  that 
Titus  had  his  camp,  and  from  this  side  of  the  city  he  com- 
menced that  memorable  siege  that  involved  the  city  in  such 
terrible  ruin.  Here  we  lingered  for  some  time,  enjoying  one  of 
those  splendid  views  of  the  surrounding  country  that  excite  the 
admiration  of  every  traveler.  Conspicuous  among  the  objects 
that  attracted  attention  was  Jerusalem  itself,  with  its  multi- 
tude of  synagogues,  mosques  and  churches;  its  minarets,  domes 
and  towers.  Just  as  we  were  gazing  upon  it  the  sun  from  be- 
hind a  cloud  poured  over  it  a  flood  of  golden  light,  while  all 
around  lay  in  the  deep,  dark  shadow.  "Is  this,"  we  said, 
"emblematic?"    Jerusalem,  on  thee  God  once  shed  his  radi- 


VISIT    TO  ANATHOTH. 


181 


ance,  and  from  thee  went  forth  light  for  tfce  illumination  of  the 
world ! 

Our  road  was  now  among  the  hills  and  rocky  passes  of  Ben- 
jamin. About  one  hour  from  the  city  brought  us  to  some 
deep,  dark  looking  ravines.  Flocks  of  black  goats,  attended 
by  Bedawins,  were  cropping  the  scanty  herbage  upon  the  rocky 
acclivities,  while  occasionally  a  low,  black  tent  showed  the  rest- 
ing-place of  a  family  of  these  strange  wanderers  of  the  desert. 
A  half  hour  farther  brought  us  to  Anathoth,  now  called  Anata. 
Three  thousand  years  ago,  this  town  was  set  off  to  the  Levites. 
But  it  possesses  an  interest  greater  than  this.  It  was  the  birth- 
place of  the  prophet  Jeremiah.  Here  the  word  of  the  Lord 
first  came  to  him,  and  here  was  his  home  till  he  was  driven 
away  by  persecution.  It  is  about  three  miles  in  a  direct  line 
from  Jerusalem.  It  still  shows  some  remnant  of  its  former 
greatness.  The  foundations  of  some  of  the  houses  were  of  great 
hewn  stone,  of  ancient  workmanship;  the  remains  of  an  an- 
cient wall  can  still  be  seen.  There  are  old  and  spacious  cisterns 
hewn  in  the  rocks,  and  fragments  of  old  columns  lie  here  and 
there.  The  village  is  now  a  miserable  place  of  about  twenty 
small  houses.  The  fields  are  poorly  tilled,  and  but  a  few  scat- 
tered fig  and  olive  trees  are  seen.  The  miserable,  lazy-looking 
men  of  the  place  gathered  around  us,  and  stared  at  us,  evident- 
ly unaccustomed  to  the  visits  of  Franks.  We  made  a  short 
stay  and  passed  on,  and  to  our  great  surprise  not  a  single  one 
of  them  asked  for  a  backsheesh. 

Here  we  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Alemeth,  one  of 
the  cities  given  to  the  Levites  as  a  part  of  their  inheritance 
in  the  land.  It  was  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  and  is  now  nothing 
but  a  heap  of  ruins.  Hizmeh  is  a  small  modern  village  near 
by,  also  situated  upon  the  top  of  a  high  hill.  The  attention  of 
the  traveler  will  here  be  arrested  by  the  strange  appearance  of 
the  country;  every  thing  is  of  a  dull,  grayish  white.  The 
stones,  the  soil,  the  houses,  and  even  the  very  shrubs,  seem  to 
have  the  same  general  appearance,  giving  an  extremely  bar- 
ren and  monotonous  aspect  to  the  landscape.  A  few  olive  and 
fig  trees  are  seen,  and  a  few  cultivated  patches  of  soil ;  the  nar- 
row valleys  looked  green  and  fertile,  but  rocky  hill-sides  seemed 


182 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


too  sterile  to  repay  cultivation.  We  now  made  a  descent  into 
a  deep,  rocky  ravine,  climbed  the  shelving  banks  of  the  oppo- 
site side,  then  down  and  up  the  steep  acclivities  of  another, 
when  we  found  ourselves  in 

JEBA,    THE   ANCIENT   GEBA   OP  BENJAMIN. 

We  were  now  in  a  wild  region,  not  only  of  country,  but  of 
inhabitants.  Many  consider  it  unsafe  for  Franks,  as  all  Euro- 
peans are  here  called,  to  venture  into  these  towns  without  a 
guard.  We  were  only  three  in  number.  Two  of  our  company 
had  buckled  on  their  revolvers  before  starting,  more,  however, 
for  show  than  with  any  expectation  of  using  them.  Notwith- 
standing the  surly  appearance  of  the  inhabitants,  we  betrayed 
no  signs  of  fear,  but  walked  boldly  into  the  village,  and  were 
almost  immediately  surrounded  by  a  throng  of  saucy  children, 
and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  desperate  looking  men. 

In  the  village  stands  an  old  tower,  a  remnant  of  the  former 
buildings  of  the  place,  which  we  wished  to  ascend  to  get  a 
better  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  One  of  the  men  stood 
at  the  door  and  demanded  a  backsheesh.  We  offered  a  piece 
of  money  and  he  nodded  assent.  We  gave  him  the  money, 
when  he  refused  to  let  us  go  unless  we  would  pay  more. 
We  would  not  submit  to  any  imposition  of  this  kind,  and,  as 
he  would  neither  pay  us  back  our  money  nor  let  us  go  up,  we 
expressed  our  strong  disapprobation  and  turned  away.  We 
took  a  hasty  survey  of  the  place,  and  not  liking  the  appear- 
ance of  the  men  around  us,  passed  on  ;  they  hooted  and  hal- 
looed after  us  in  a  very  uncivil  way,  but  we  payed  no  attention 
to  it.  We  passed  on  a  little  out  of  the  town  to  the  side  of  the 
hill  that  commanded  a  view  of  the  scene  we  wished  to  con- 
template. We  were  now  upon  the  ground  over  which  Sennach- 
erib marched  his  army  when  he  advanced  upon  Jerusalem. 
Isaiah  had  foretold  this  advance  of  the  Assyrian  upon  Jerusa- 
lem, and  describes  it  with  all  the  accuracy  of  a  historic  record. 
He  speaks  of  this  Assyrian  host  as  the  rod  of  God's  anger,  and 
the  staff  of  his  indignation :  "  I  wTill  send  him  against  a  hypo- 
critical nation,  and  against  the  people  of  my  wrath  will  I  give 
him  a  charge  to  take  the  spoil  and  to  take  the  prey,  and  to 


t 


PROPHECY   OF  ISAIAH 


183 


tread  them  down  like  the  mire  of  the  streets."  (Is.  x.)  Tne 
army  advanced  npon  the  great  northern  road  towards  Jerusa- 
lem ;  when  near  Bethel  they  made  a  turn  eastward  over  the 
ground  we  were  now  visiting.  Standing  in  the  midst  of  these 
old  cities,  most  of  them  now  in  ruins,  how  vividly  and  accurately 
the  movements  of  the  invading  army  were  portrayed  ?  "  He  is 
come  to  Ai,  he  is  passed  to  Migron ;  at  Michmash  he  hath  laid 
up  his  carriages.  They  have  gone  over  the  passage;  they 
have  taken  up  their  lodging  at  Geba ;  Eamah  is  afraid.  Gibeah 
of  Saul  is  fled.  Lift  up  thy  voice,  0  daughter  of  Gallim ; 
cause  it  to  be  heard  unto  Laish,  0  poor  Anathoth."  Here,  too, 
we  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  that  wonderful  exploit  of 

JONATHAN   AND    HIS  ARMOR-BEARER. 

As  we  sat  upon  the  hill  a  little  below  the  village  of  Geba,  the 
scene  of  this  interesting  event  was  all  before  us,  and  we  took 
out  our  Bibles  to  read  again  the  narrative.  The  Philistines  had 
suddenly  risen  up  against  the  Israelites,  and  with  an  immense* 
army  had  encamped  at  Michmash;  as  we  looked  out  to  the 
northward  we  could  see  the  place,  and  the  very  ground  over 
which  this  vast  horde  of  the  enemies  of  the  Hebrews  spread 
themselves.  Saul  had  no  time  to  gather  an  army,  and  was  here 
in  Geba  with  only  six  hundred  men,  but  God  had  determined 
to  save  Israel  from  this  sudden  uprising  of  their  enemies. 
Jonathan  devised  a  bold  and  novel  plan  of  attack.  Only  a 
narrow  ravine  separated  the  two  armies.  That  narrow  ravine 
was  just  before  us;  down  into  its  dark  depths  we  could  look, 
and  the  bold  rocky  acclivities  of  the  opposite  side  were  visible. 
Accompanied  only  by  his  armor-bearer,  the  bold-hearted  son  of 
Saul  descends  into  the  valley  and  climbs  up  yonder  northern 
rocky  precipice  on  his  hands  and  feet.  Where  Bozez  and 
Seneh,  the  two  sharp  rocks,  one  on  the  one  side,  and  one  on  the 
other  were,  cannot  now  be  exactly  determined,  but  one  of  them 
was  on  the  north  side,  over  against  Michmash,  the  other  one  on 
the  south  side,  over  against  Geba,  and  over  them  Jonathan 
made  his  way.  As  if  springing  up  from  the  earth,  the  two 
bold  men  suddenly  made  their  appearance  in  the  Philistine's 
camp,  and  commenced  the  work  of  slaughter.    A  rampart  of 


184 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


slaughtered  Philistines  was  soon  heaped  about  them,  and  there 
was  trembling  in  the  host,  and  in  the  field,  and  among  all  the 
people  of  the  garrison.  The  occurrence  of  an  earthquake  in- 
creased the  tumult,  and  the  panic-stricken  host  of  the  uneir- 
cumcised  not  only  fell  upon  each  other,  but  fled  in  the  wildest 
consternation.  From  the  vicinity  where  we  were  sitting,  Saul 
and  his  company  saw  the  confusion,  and  gathering  as  many  as 
could  be  hastily  brought  together,  pursued  the  discomfited 
host.  Thousands  were  slain,  and  the  rest  driven  westward 
through  the  mountains  to  Ajalon.  It  was  one  of  those  signal 
interpositions  of  God  for  the  preservation  of  his  people  that 
fills  their  history  with  remarkable  events 

.  As  we  sat  reading  and  talking  over  these  interesting  things, 
an  old  sheik,  from  the  village  we  had  just  left,  made  his  ap- 
pearance and  sat  down  near  us.  We  paid  no  attention  to  him, 
but  read  on  till  we  were  through.  On  leaving,  he  followed  us, 
when  we  discovered  that  he  had  his  old  broad  sword  buckled 
on  beneath  his  blanket,  which  he  was  making  an  evident  effort 
to  conceal.  What  his  design  or  wish  was,  we  could  not  tell,  as 
we  could  not  converse  with  him;  but  we  did  not  like  his  ap- 
pearance, for  he  had  a  savage  and  malicious  look,  and  we  motion- 
ed him  back.  He  persisted  in  following  us  near  half  a  mile,  but 
we  kept  our  eye  upon  him,  and  allowed  him  to  get  no  advan- 
tage over  us.  At  last,  finding  he  could  make  nothing  out  of 
us,  he  left  us.  These  villagers  were  the  most  uncivil  of  any  we 
had  met  with,  and  though  we  assumed  a  bold  and  careless  air 
while  with  them,  we  were  glad  to  leave  them  behind.  We  now 
passed  on  between  one  and  two  miles  nearly  west  to 

RAMAH    OF  BENJAMIN. 

It  is  located,  as  all  the  other  ancient  villages  of  Judea  were, 
upon  a  hill.  It  is  now  but  a  small  village,  but  there  are  ancient 
ruins  here  indicating  something  of  its  former  importance.  We 
took  a  hasty  view  of  the  place.  It  is  beautifully  situated,  sur- 
rounded by  a  green  and  fertile  valley;  The  villagers  appeared 
to  be  a  much  kinder  hearted  people  than  those  we  had  just  left. 
They  gathered  around  us  and  were  importunate  in  their 
demands  for  backsheesh ;  but  as  we  had  no  favors  to  ask,  we 


ETJINS    OF   OLD  CITIES. 


185 


declined  making  donations.  We  passed  on  down  the  opposite 
side  of  the  hill,  and  a  few  rods  from  the  village,  came  upon  a 
well  dug  in  the  rock.  A  couple  of  girls  had  come  out  to  draw 
water,  and  one  of  them,  like  Rebekah  of  old,  let  down  her 
pitcher  and  gave  us  drink,  for  which  we  gave  her  a  backsheesh 
in  return. 

In  passing  to  Ramah,  we  left  Ai  upon  our  right,  but  did  not 
go  to  it,  as  nothing  but  a  heap  of  ruins  marks  the  place.  These 
ruins  are  scattered  along  the  narrow,  rocky  summit  of  a  ridge 
for  near  half  a  mile.  It  was  here,  or  near  here,  Abraham  had 
his  second  encampment  after  arriving  in  Canaan.  It  was  the 
second  city  taken  by  Joshua  in  his  conquest  of  the  land.  From 
Jericho  he  marched  up  boldly  into  these  strong  mountain 
holds,  and  this  city  was  taken  by  stratagem  and  doomed  to 
destruction,  but  was  afterwards  rebuilt.  We  now  turned  our 
steps  homeward,  for  we  had  about  five  miles  to  walk.  Near 
Jerusalem  we  turned  a  little  aside  from  our  direct  road  to  visit 
the  site  of 

GIBEAH    OF  SAUL, 

Now  called  Tuleii  el  Ful,  "The  Hill  of  the  Beans."  This  is 
the  theater  of  several  interesting  historical  events.  It  is  a 
round-topped  hill,  about  three  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  com- 
manding a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  It  has  for- 
merly been  terraced,  at  great  expense,  the  rocks  having  been 
cut  away  for  that  purpose.  The  stones  upon  the  sides  still  lie 
in  great  heaps  and  long  ridges,  indicating  the  former  walls  and 
roads.  On  the  top  is  a  large  conical  heap  of  ruins.  This  is 
all  that  is  now  left  of  Gribeah,  the  city  that  gave  the  Israelites 
their  first  king.  Here  was  the  home  of  Saul,  and  the  seat  of 
his  government  during  a  great  part  of  his  reign. 

On  this  hill  the  Amorites  of  Gibeon  hanged  the  seven  de- 
scendants of  Saul  in  revenge  for  the  massacre  of  their  breth- 
ren. Here  occurred  that  bloody  tragedy  of  the  destruction 
of  the  concubine,  which  was  so  terribly  revenged  by  the  other 
tribes,  and  which  resulted  in  the  almost  total  annihilation  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  as  recorded  in  Judges  20th  and  21st 
chapters.    Here,  also,  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  touch- 


186 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


ing  instances  of  maternal  tenderness  on  record.  Rizpah,  the 
mother  of  two  of  the  descendants  of  Saul  that  were  hung  here 
and  left  to  rot  upon  the  gallows,  bemoaned  her  loss,  and  "took 
sackcloth  and  spread  it  for  her  upon  the  rock  from  the  begin- 
ning of  harvest  until  water  dropped  upon  them  out  of  heaven, 
and  suffered  neither  the  birds  of  the  air  to  rest  upon  them  by 
day,  nor  the  beasts  of  the  field  by  night."  "  It  must,"  says  one, 
"  have  been  a  mournful  spectacle,  to  see  this  bereaved  mother, 
sitting  by  the  wasting  skeletons  of  her  sons,  through  the  long 
days  of  a  whole  Assyrian  summer,  from  the  beginning  of 
harvest  in  April,  till  the  first  rains  in  autumn." 

As  we  sat  upon  the  heap  of  ruins  that  crowns  the  site  of  this 
ancient  city  and  read  the  record  of  these  events,  the  sun  was 
fast  sinking  behind  the  western  hills.  Our  day's  work  was 
done;  we  hastened  into  the  city,  and  spent  the  evening  in  re- 
flecting upon  the  events  of  the  day,  and  making  notes  of  the 
interesting  localities  we  had  visited. 

EXCURSION   TO    BETHLEHEM    AND  HEBRON. 

April  8th.  Bethlehem  is  between  five  and  six  miles  south  of 
Jerusalem ;  Hebron  about  fifteen  miles  south  of  Bethlehem. 
The  usual  mode  of  visiting  Hebron  from  Jerusalem,  is  to  hire 
horses  and  a  dragoman,  and  take  along  tents  and  provisions. 
Several  of  us  had  now  become  so  much  accustomed  to  "foot 
excursions,"  we  were  bold  enough  to  plan  a  visit  to  Hebron 
without  horses,  dragoman  or  tent.  Our  company  consisted 
of  my  two  traveling  companions  who  came  with  me  from 
Egypt;  a  young  man  from  the  city  of  New  York,  whom  we 
met  in  Jerusalem  ;  an  English  clergyman;  the  Irish  Franciscan 
monk,  of  whom  we  have  before  spoken,  from  "  our  convent; " 
and  an  Irish  Catholic  priest  from  the  Emerald  Isle,  here  on  a 
visit  to  the  "  holy  places."  Thus  we  had  quite  a  diversity  in 
nationality,  religion  and  tongues;  for  though  there  were  but 
seven  of  us,  we  represented  three  nations  and  five  different  re- 
ligious denominations.  Our  monk  could  talk  Arabic,  two  of 
our  number  spoke  German  and  French,  two  Italian,  all  of  us 
English,  and  seven  being  a  perfect  number,  we  had  no  fears  of 
a  failure  in  our  enterprise. 


A   WALK    TO  BETHLEHEM. 


187 


"We  left  Jerusalem  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  intend- 
ing to  spend  the  first  night  in  Bethlehem.  We  passed  out  of 
the  Jaffa  Gate,  crossed  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  near  the  ruins  of 
one  of  the  old  aqueducts  of  Solomon,  and  along  the  base  of 
the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel.  On  this  side  of  the  city  cau^  be  3>een 
what  industry  and  enterprise  can  do  in  restoring  the  fertility  of 
these  rocky  hills.  English  and  American  skill  and  capital  have 
been  expended  in  the  erection  of  buildings  and  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil.  In  one  place,  a  long  row  of  neat  stone  tenements 
have  been  put  up  by  a  wealthy  Jew,  all  now  occupied  by 
Israelites  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil ;  the  ruined 
terraces  upon  some  of  the  hill-sides  have  been  restored,  the 
vine,  fig,  and  olive  trees  again  planted.  The  result  shows  that 
these  barren  hills  can  be  made  fruitful,  and  from  these  little 
cultivated  spots  one  can  understand  something  of  what  the 
country  once  was  when  all  these  hill-sides  were  clothed  with  a 
luxuriant  growth  of  vegetation. 

PLAIN   OF   REPHAIM  —  WELL   OP   THE  MAGI. 

About  a  mile  from  the  city,  we  passed  along  the  Plain  of 
Kephaim,  or,  as  it  is  also  called,  the  Valley  of  the  Giants. 
Here  it  was  that  the  Philistines  came  up  and  spread  themselves, 
making  a  demonstration  against  Jerusalem,  when  they  heard 
that  David  had  been  crowned  King  of  Israel ;  and  here  David 
smote  them  with  great  slaughter,  so  that  they  fled  and  left 
their  images,  and  David  and  his  men  burned  them.  Not  satis- 
fied with  this  defeat,  they  came  a  second  time,  and  David,  by 
the  direction  fo  the  Lord,  fetched  a  compass  behind  them,  and 
"came  upon  them  over  against  the  mulberry  trees."  "And 
let  it  be,"  said  the  Lord,  "  when  thou  hearest  the  sound  of  a 
going  in  the  tops  of  the  mulberry  trees,  thou  shalt  bestir  thy- 
self, for  then  shall  the  Lord  go  out  before  thee  to  smite  the 
host  of  the  Philistines."  It  is  a  beautiful  green  plain,  termi- 
nating in  the  southwest  in  what  is  now  called  the  "  Valley  of 
Roses."  About  two  miles  from  the  city  we  came  upon  a  large, 
deep  well,  directly  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  called  the  "  Well 
of  the  Magi." 

It  is  walled  around  the  top  with  great  hewn  stones,  and  pre- 


183 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


served  with  care,  not  only  from  its  utility  in  affording  water  to 
the  traveler,  but  from  a  traditional  story  connected  with  it. 
The  wise  men,  the  tradition  says,  left  Herod  to  seek  for  Jesus. 
They  wandered  on  in  uncertainty,  till  they  came  to  this  well. 
Looking  down  into  it,  and  attempting  to  draw  water,  the  won- 
derful star  was  mirrored  forth  from  its  deep  waters.  Whatever 
importance  we  may  attach  to  the  tradition,  there  can  be  but 
little  doubt  that  this  company  of  men,  seeking  the  new-born 
king,  traveled  along  this  very  road. 

We  now  ascended  a  sloping  hill  for  about  half  a  mile  further. 
On  the  top  of  this  hill,  and  just  about  half  way  from  Jerusa- 
lem to  Bethlehem,  stands  the  new  Greek  Convent  of  St.  Elias, 
or  Elijah.  It  is  a  huge,  but  neat  looking  stone  building,  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  wall.  The  reason  assigned  for  its  erection 
here,  is  a  tradition  that  on  this  spot  the  prophet,  worn  out  with 
fatigue,  lay  down  to  rest  when  he  lied  from  the  persecuting 
Jezebel.  These  Greek  Christians  are  doing  much  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  their  convent,  and 
have  also  just  completed  a  fine  improvement  in  the  road  lead- 
ing to  Bethlehem.  The  road  from  Jerusalem,  thus  far,  is  one 
of  the  best  I  have  seen  in  Palestine.  Most  of  the  way  a  car- 
riage might  be  driven  over  it.  As  we  neared  Bethlehem,  we 
turned  aside  a  few  rods  to  the  right  of  the  main  road  to  visit 

THE    TOMB   OF  RACHAEL. 

It  consists  first  of  a  small,  white,  square  building,  surmount- 
ed by  a  dome.  This  was  designed,  and  has  been  used  for  a 
Moslem  mosque,  but  is  now  in  a  sadly  neglected  state.  From 
this  an  iron  door,  which  we  found  locked,  opens  into  an  oblong 
monument,  built  of  brick,  stuccoed,  and  neatly  whitewashed. 
Though  this  building  is  modern,  the  identity  of  the  spot  is 
well  established.  Here  I  recalled  the  simple,  brief,  yet  touch- 
ing biblical  narrative  of  her  death:  "They  journeyed  from 
Bethel,  and  there  was  but  a  little  way  to  come  to  Ephrath. 
#  *  *  *  *  And  Rachael  died  and  was  buried  on  the  way 
to  Ephrath,  which  is  Bethlehem."  And  Jacob,  we  are  informed, 
set  up  a  pillar  upon  her  grave,  which  Moses  speaks  of  as  stand- 
ing in  his  day.    That  this  is  the  place,  none,  I  believe,  dispute. 


AN    ANCIENT  TOMB. 


189 


Here,  then,  I  was  gazing  upon  the  very  spot  where  the  dust  of 
this  memorable  woman  had  mingled  with  its  original  dust — 
the  wife  whom  Jacob  so  much  loved — the  woman  for  whom  he 
spent  so  many  years  of  servitude — the  mother  of  Joseph, 
whose  virtues  alone  would  have  given  her  an  exalted  name. 
What  changes  have  here  taken  place  !  What  revolutions  have 
swept  over  this  land !  What  contentions  of  nations  for  the 
mastery !  But  amidst  them  all,  three  thousand  years  have  not 
effaced  the  knowledge  of  this  place,  and  Jew,  Christian,  and 
Mohammedan  alike  revere  the  memory  of  her  who  sleeps 
beneath  this  monument.  The  following  notice,  from  the  jour- 
nal of  another  traveler,  is  here  so  much  in  point,  I  take  the 
liberty  of  copying  it :  "  The  Turks  are  anxious  that  their  bones 
may  rest  near  hers,  and  hence  their  bodies  have  been  strewn 
under  tombs  all  around  the  simple  grave  of  Eachael.  The 
sweet,  domestic  virtues  of  the  good  wife  have  won  their  love 
and  admiration,  as  the  tomb  of  Absalom,  near  the  brook  of 
Kedron,  has  their  detestation — upon  the  latter  they  throw  a 
stone,  to  mark  their  horror  of  the  disobedient  son,  while  round 
the  former  they  wish  when  they  die  their  bodies  may  be  interred. 
jSTor  is  this  wonderful.  The  wife,  worth  fourteen  years 
service  as  a  shepherd,  must  have  been  worth  having.  The 
whole  life  of  Eachael  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  touching  in 
biblical  history.  The  sweet  shepherdess  has  left  her  mark  upon 
the  memory  of  man  as  well  as  her  tomb.  The  tribute  to  her  is 
the  tribute  to  a  good  wife  ;  and  infidel,  and  Jew,  and  Christian, 
all  combine  to  pay  it.  The  great  women  of  the  earth — the  Ze- 
nobias  and  Cleopatras — have  died,  been  buried,  and  their  very 
places  of  burial  have  been  forgotten  ;  but  to  this  day  stands 
over  the  grave  of  Eachael,  not  the  pillar  that  Jacob  set  up,  but  a 
modern  monument  in  its  place,  around  which  pilgrims  from 
every  land  under  the  sun  gather,  in  respect  and  reverence  for 
the  faithful  wife  and  good  mother  of  Israel." 

BETHLEHEM  —  THE    "HOUSE    OF  BREAD." 

A  walk  of  about  fifteen  minutes  from  the  tomb  of  Eachael 
brought  us  to  Bethlehem.  The  natives  now  call  it  Beit  Lahm, 
"  House  of  Flesh"    It  is  indeed  the  place  that  has  given  to 


190 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


mankind  the  living  bread  and  the  flesh  that  sustain  the  life  of 
the  world.  Little  it  was,  and  little  it  still  is  among  the  thous- 
ands of  Judah,  but  out  of  it  came  Him  who  is  ruler  of  the 
world.  It  was  with  no  ordinary  feelings  I  climbed  the  rugged 
road  that  leads  up  to  the  birth-place  of  Jesus.  The  city  is 
situated  upon  a  hill,  the  gray  stone  houses  rising  tier  above 
tier,  presenting  quite  a  substantial  and  formidable  appearance, 
while  the  great  stone  buildings  of  the  convent  and  Church  of 
the  Nativity,  with  the  massive,  fort-like  walls  that  inclose  them, 
form  the  most  conspicuous  object  in  the  place,  looking  like 
some  of  the  old  fortifications  of  feudal  times.  It  was  formerly 
a  walled  town,  but  the  walls,  no  longer  considered  essential, 
have  been  allowed  to  fall  into  decay.  There  are  about  three 
thousand  inhabitants,  nearly  all  of  them  Christians.  The 
streets  are  narrow  and  dirty,  and  like  all  others  of  Palestine, 
full  of  fleas.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  live  by  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil ;  the  vine  and  olive  are  extensively  cultivated,  and 
the  country  around  has  a  more  flourishing  and  fruitful  appear- 
ance than  the  hills  about  Jerusalem.  A  great  amount  of  busi- 
ness is  carried  on  in  the  manufacture  of  olive  wood,  bone  and 
shell,  into  beads,  cameos,  crosses,  crucifixes,  and  various  other 
articles.  The  women  of  Bethlehem  are  proverbially  beautiful, 
having  in  their  features  much  of  the  European  stamp,  while 
the  whole  population  appear  to  be  industrious  and  well  dis- 
posed. 

CONVENT    AND    CHURCH    OF    THE  NATIVITY. 

Our  home  at  Bethlehem  was  to  be  in  the  convent,  and  our 
Jerusalem  monk  had  the  sesame,  in  obedience  to  which  its  pon- 
derous doors  were  readily  opened.  We  received  a  welcome 
reception,  were  assigned  our  rooms  for  the  night,  and  provided 
with  a  wholesome,  but  plain  repast  of  bread,  meat,  eggs  and 
coffee.  This  place  is  an  immense  pile  of  stone  buildings,  of 
great  antiquity.  There  are  three  convents  included  within  the 
walls — Latin,  Greek  and  Armenian — the  inmates  each  retain- 
ing their  respective  forms  of  worship,  and  all  having  access  by 
different  passages  to  the  "holy  places."  The  chief  object  of 
attraction  is  the  "  Church  of  the  Nativity."    This  is  said  to  be 


I 


LODGING   IN    TOMBS.  193 

built  over  the  grotto  or  cave  that  formed  the  stable  in  which 
the  Savior  made  his  advent  into  the  world. 

I  have  often  been  asked,  since  my  visit  to  this  place :  "  Is  it 
at  all  probable  the  Savior  would  or  could  have  made  his  ap- 
pearance in  the  world  in  the  manner,  and  in  such  a  place  as  the 
scripture  narrative  represents  ?  "  I  see  no  improbability  in  it  at 
all.  Indeed,  it  would  not  be  strange  for  a  child  to  be  born,  even 
now,  in  similar  circumstauces.  The  rocky  hill-sides  about  Je- 
rusalem, Bethlehem,  and  other  cities  of  this  land,  are  full  of 
artificial  grottoes  cut  in  the  rocks;  some  of  these  were  origin- 
ally tombs,  some  were  probably  excavated  for  other  purposes. 
It  is  no  uncommon  thing  at  the  present  time  to  see  these  used 
as  herding  places  for  animals,  and  quantities  of  provender  are 
frequently  stored  in  them.  In  walled  cities,  as  at  Jerusalem, 
the  gates,  at  night,  are  shut,  and  the  belated  traveler  is  some- 
times compelled  to  take  refuge  for  the  night  in  these  deserted 
tombs  or  grottoes,  and  if  he  can  find  one  with  a  bed  of  straw, 
so  much  the  better.  It  is  easy  to  conceive  how,  under  circum- 
stances like  these,  and  more  especially  among  people  of  such 
habits  as  we  find  here,  the  necessities  of  a  mother  mierht  drive 
her  for  shelter  to  a  stable.  It  was  a  similar  case  to  this  that 
happened  eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  A  decree  of  the  reign- 
ing monarch  had  called  a  multitude  together  at  Bethlehem. 
The  mother  was  not  debarred  from  the  city  because  the  gates 
were  shut,  but  from  the  multitude  of  people  "there  was  no  room 
in  the  inn"  Where  then  could  she  find  shelter  but  in  one  of 
these  same  grottoes  or  stables?  So  far  from  there  being  airjr 
thing  improbable  in  the  narrative,  it  is  precisely  such  an  event 
as  might,  in  such  a  combination  of  circumstances,  happen  at  the 
present  day. 

But  was  this  grotto  beneath  the  Church  of  the  Nativity  the 
one?  That,  of  course,  I  cannot  tell.  As  early  as  A.  D.  327, 
Helena  built  a  splendid  edifice  over  this  cave;  by  what  evidence 
she  settled  the  question  of  the  locality  of  the  place  it  would  be 
impossible  now  to  tell.  Certain  it  is,  it  was  regarded  as  the 
place  then,  and  has  continued  to  be  so  regarded  since.  The 
church  now  standing  here  is  said  to  be  the  same  as  built  hy 
Helena  more  than  fifteen  hundred  years  ago,  though,  doubtless, 


194  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

it  has  undergone  many  changes.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  long,  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  broad,  and  is  the 
oldest  specimen  of  Christian  architecture  in  the  world.  The 
roof  is  of  wood ;  the  naked  beams  and  rough  frame-work  sup- 
porting it  is  left  on  the  inside  uncovered,  giving  it  a  very  unfin- 
ished appearance.  This  roof  is  supported  by  forty-eight  Cor- 
inthian columns,  arranged  in  four  rows  of  twelve  columns  each. 
These  columns  are  each  of  one  single  piece  of  stone,  two  and  a 
half  feet  in  diameter,  and  more  than  twenty  feet  high,  and  are 
supposed  to  have  been  taken  from  some  more  ancient  building, 
some  think  from  the  porches  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem.  This 
great  church  is  now  seldom  used  for  worship,  and  seems  to  be 
only  a  vestibule  or  thoroughfare  to  the  smaller  churches  and 
apartments  of  the  convent,  and  especially  to  the  Grotto  of  the 
Nativity. 

With  one  of  the  Latin  monks  for  our  guide,  we  passed  the 
gloomy  portals  of  this  old  church,  thinking  of  Helena,  Con- 
stantine,  and  of  the  strange  events  of  the  past,  until  we  came 
to  the  dark,  narrow  passage  leading  down  into  the  Grotto  of 
the  Nativity.  The  monk  handed  each  of  us  a  lighted  taper, 
and  led  the  way  down  a  narrow  stairway  cut  in  the  solid  rock. 
What  w^as  once  a  simple  grotto  or  cave  in  the  hill-side,  has  been 
so  fenced  in  and  covered  over  by  this  great  church,  and  trans- 
formed by  the  hand  of  art,  a  visit  to  it  is  now  like  a  descent 
into  a  cellar.  I  cannot  detain  the  reader  by  describing  all  I  saw 
in  these  subterranean  apartments,  nor  the  manner  in  which  the 
various  rooms  are  arranged  with  the  altars,  pictures,  lamps  and 
numerous  costly  decorations.  We  were  shown  the  altar  and 
tomb  of  St.  Eusebius;  the  altars  and  tombs  of  Saints  Paula  and 
her  daughter;  the  tomb  of  St.  Jerome,  and  what  was  of  more 
interest  to  me,  his  study.  This  is  in  a  vault  or  chamber  near 
twenty  feet  square  and  about  nine  feet  high.  It  is  cut  in  the 
rock,  and  has  been  transformed  by  the  monks  into  a  chapel. 
On  one  side  of  the  room  a  handsome  altar  has  been  erected, 
and  over  it  is  placed  a  picture  of  the  Saint,  representing  him  in 
the  attitude  of  writing,  while  a  large  lion  lies  resting  at  his  feet. 
Here,  then,  I  was  really  in  the  room  where  this  devoted  man 
passed  so  many  years  of  his  life;  these  walls  echoed  the  voice 


GEOTTO    OF    THE    NATIVITY.  195 

of  his  prayer  and  witnessed  his  austerities.  "  Here  it  was," 
says  one  historian,  "  that  he  fancied  that  he  heard  the  peals  of 
that  awful  trump,  which  shall  one  day  summon  all  mankind  to 
judgment,  incessantly  ringing  in  his  ears.  Here  it  was  that 
with  a  stone  he  struck  his  body,  bowed  by  the  weight  of  years 
and  austerities,  and  with  loud  cries  besought  the  mercy  of  the 
Lord.  Here,  too,  it  was  that  he  produced  those  laborious  works 
that  have  justly  earned  him  the  title  of  the  Father  of  the 
Church." 

In  another  apartment,  now  also  turned  into  a  chapel,  is  an 
al,tar  said  to  mark  the  spot  -where  the  innocents  slain  by  Herod 
wrere  buried.  Passing  on  through  one  or  two  more  apartments, 
a  door  was  reverently  opened,  and  we  entered  a  room  nearly 
forty  feet  long  and  eleven  feet  wide.  This  was  the  sanctum 
sanctorum  of  the  whole  building.  At  one  end  of  this  room 
was  an  altar;  beneath  it,  raised  a  little  above  the  floor,  a  marble 
slab ;  on  the  center  of  the  slab  a  large  silver  star,  fifteen  to 
eighteen  inches  in  circumference;  around  this  star,  engraved  in 
Latin :  "  Here  Jesus  Christ  was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary." 
Around  this  star  and  over  this  altar  are  suspended  sixteen  sil- 
ver lamps,  kept  continually  burning.  The  chapel  is  richly  em- 
bellished with  gold  and  silver  ornaments  and  pictures.  The 
monk  who  guided  us  approached  the  place,  reverently  fell  upon 
his  knees  and  kissed  the  revered  spot,  as  is  their  custom  always 
when  they  approach  it.  This  then  was  the  spot  that  has  made 
this  a  place  of  pilgrimage  for  many  centuries.  For  this  spot 
this  massive  convent  and  costly  church,  and  these  numerous 
chapels,  have  been  erected.  I  looked  upon  the  place,  and 
around  the  room,  and  in  imagination  tried  to  divest  it  of  its  ap- 
pendages and  adornments,  and  see  only  a  simple  cavern  in  the 
rocks,  such  as  even  now  can  be  seen  around  Bethlehem  and  Je- 
rusalem, and  into  which  the  herdsman  still  drives  his  cattle  to 
sfielter  and  feed  them.  I  recalled  the  simple  scripture  narra- 
tive, how  Joseph  and  Mary,  in  their  extremity,  were  driven  into 
one  of  these  places,  and  "  she  brought  forth  her  first  born  son 
and  laid  him  in  a  manger,  because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in 
the  inn."  I  thought  of  Him  who  took  not  upon  himself  the  na- 
ture of  angels,  but  the  seed  of  Abraham ;  who,  though  he  was 


196 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


rich,  became  poor,  that  we  through  his  poverty  might  be  made 
rich.  What  a  stoop  was  that  from  the  throne  of  the  universe 
to  the  manger  of  Bethlehem !  Why  was  he  not  born  in  the 
imperial  palace,  in  princely  state,  and  to  regal  honors?  He  came 
to  teach  us  humility,  self-abasement  and  self-denial,  and  it  be- 
hooved him  to  be  made  in  all  things  like  unto  those  whom  he 
was  to  elevate  from  the  defilements  and  degradation  of  sin. 

DAVID'S   WELL  —  VIEW   OF    THE  COUNTRY. 

After  visiting  the  Cave  of  the  Nativity,  we  had  time  to  wan- 
der about  the  place.  The  "Milk  Grotto,"  just  upon  the  sub- 
urbs of  the  city,  is  one  of  those  places  that  has  obtained  celeb- 
rity, and  which  every  one  visits,  without  any  faith  in  the  foolish 
legend  that  has  given  it  its  name.  It  is  a  little  cave  excavated 
in  the  soft  rock,  upon  one  side  of  which  the  crumbling  lime- 
stone has  a  peculiar  white,  milky  appearance,  giving  rise  to  the 
absurd  story  that  here  the  Virgin  nursed  her  child,  and  the 
milk  was  spilt  upon  the  side  of  the  grotto — hence  its  name. 

A  few  rods'  walk  in  another  direction  brought  us  to  "David's 
Well."  This  is  a  large,  deep  cistern,  hewn  in  the  solid  rock, 
with  several  openings  in  the  top.  The  event  that  has  given  it 
its  celebrity  is  recorded  in  1st  Chron.  ii.  The  Philistines  had 
taken  possession  of  Bethlehem,  and  David  was  sheltered  in  the 
cave  of  Adullam.  And  David  said :  u  0  that  one  would  give 
me  to  drink  of  the  water  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem  that  is  at 
the  gate."  And  three  of  his  men  broke  through  the  host  of 
the  Philistines,  and  drew  water  from  the  well  and  brought  it  to 
David.  But  David  would  not  drink  it,  for  it  was  like  drinking 
the  blood  of  the  men  whose  lives  had  been  put  in  jeopardy  to 
procure  it;  and  he  poured  it  out  to  the  Lord. 

What  an  interesting  day  we  have  had  in  our  ramble  from 
Jerusalem  here,  and  in  visiting  these  renowned  localities !  Now 
as  the  day  is  declining,  come  with  me  to  the  top  of  the  convent, 
and  from  its  flat  roof  let  us  take  a  survey  of  the  surrounding 
country,  and  call  to  mind  some  of  the  memorable  events  that 
have  here  transpired,  and  that  have  made  this  little  place  so 
prominent  in  the  religious  history  of  the  world.  First,  we  may 
call  to  mind  the  interesting  history  of  Euth,  the  Moabitess,  the 


PLAINS    OF  BETHLEHEM. 


197 


great  grandmother  of  David,  who  came  here  with  her  mother- 
in-law  from  beyond  the  Jordan.  Upon  some  one  of  these  very 
fields  upon  which  we  are  now  looking,  she  went  out  to  glean 
barley,  the  narrative  of  which  is  so  beautifully  and  artlessly  re- 
corded in  the  word  of  God,  and  which  resulted  in  her  marriage 
,   with  the  kinsman  of  her  deceased  husband. 

But  what  was  of  deeper  interest,  here  was  the  home  of  the 
shepherd  boy  that  afterwards  became  Israel's  king.  Over  these 
hills  and  through  these  valleys  David  led  his  flocks,  before  any 
visions  of  his  future  greatness  had  dawned  upon  his  imagina- 
tion or  inflamed  his  ambition.  It  was  here  to  the  house  of  his 
father  Jesse,  Samuel  came,  his  steps  directed  by  the  Almighty, 
to  anoint  with  his  horn  of  oil  the  lad  who  was  afterwards  to 
act  so  prominent  a  part  in  the  history  of  the  nation ;  whose 
f.word  was  terrible  to  his  enemies,  and  whose  devout  and  holy 
meditations  still  continue  to  awaken  the  devotions  of  the  pious 
heart.  But  what  was  of  more  interest,  here  on  these  very 
fields,  at  a  later  period,  other  shepherds  watched  their  flocks, 
and  here  was  announced  the  advent  of  another  and  a  greater 
king,  and  from  the  angelic  choir  the  song  of  peace  and  good 
will  first  fell  upon  the  ear  of  man. 

Bethlehem  is  still  little  among  the  thousands  of  Judah,  but 
it  has  a  history  that. will  never  be  effaced.  Men  and  nations 
have  passed  away;  the  glory  of  Israel  has  departed,  and  the 
hand  of  desolation  has  been  laid  upon  this  once  fertile  land; 
but  here  stand  the  hills,  there  lie  the  valleys,  and  these  are  the 
rocks  and  the  fields  that  were  kindled  by  the  glory  of  the  pres- 
ence of  God,  and  gave  back  the  triumphant  echoes  of  that 
heavenly  song,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest;  and  on  earth 
peace  and  good  will  to  men."  And  yet  how  variable  are  hu- 
man events.  How  closely  allied  are  light  and  darkness,  joy  and 
sorrow.  How  these  mothers  of  Bethlehem  were  made  to  sit 
in  sackcloth,  and  these  same  rocks  and  hills  echoed  with  the 
wail  of  thousands  of  bereft  ones,  when  Herod,  jealous  of  the 
security  of  his  throne,  "sent  forth  and  slew  all  the  children  in 
Bethlehem,  and  in  all  the  coasts  thereof,  from  two  years  old 
and  under."  Then  was  there  a  voice  heard  in  Ramah,  lamen- 
tation, weeping  and  great  mourning.    Rachael  weeping  for  her 


193  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

children,  and  would  not  be  comforted  because  they  were  not 
But  while  we  have  been  contemplating  these  interesting  events, 
the  dim  twilight  has  crept  over  the  landscape,  and  we  are  called 
to  seek  rest  for  the  night.    To-morrow  we  shall  pursue  our  in- 
teresting journey  to  Hebron. 

POOLS    OP  SOLOMON. 

A  night's  rest  in  the  convent,  a  beautiful  April  morning — 
and  April  here  is  like  our  June — a  hospitable  breakfast  fur- 
nished by  the  monks,  all  conspired  to  invigorate  our  spirits,  and 
at  the  early  hour  of  6  o'clock  we  left  Bethlehem,  and  continued 
our  journey  towards  Hebron.  We  passed  part  way  down  the 
hill  on  which  Bethlehem  stands,  and  then  commenced  a  slight 
detour  from  the  main  road  to  visit  the  celebrated  reservoirs 
known  as  the  Pools  of  Solomon. 

Our  course  lay  along  the  aqueduct  leading  from  these  pools, 
or  reservoirs  they  might  more  properly  be  called,  to  Jerusalem, 
the  grading  for  which  along  the  hill- sides  forms  a  comfortable 
horse  and  foot  path.  This  old  aqueduct,  between  Bethlehem 
and  the  pools,  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  and  in  many 
places  has  been  recently  repaired.  It  is  built  of  stone,  the  pas- 
sage for  the  water  about  eighteen  inches  broad,  and  twelve  to 
fifteen  inches  deep,  and  lined  with  a  strong  coat  of  water-proof 
cement.  In  the  early  days  of  the  construction  of  these  water 
works,  the  modern  method  of  carrying  water  over  hills  and 
through  valleys  in  pipes  was  not  understood,. or  they  had  not 
the  art  of  making  pipes  of  sufficient  strength  to  resist  the  pres- 
sure of  the  water;  so  this  aqueduct  is  carried  the  whole  distance 
upon  a  level,  or  nearly  so,  following  the  windings  and  sinuosi- 
ties of  the  hill-sides  like  a  canal.  Through  this  ancient  chan- 
nel the  water  was  still  flowing  fresh  and  clear,  as  in  the  days  of 
the  great  monarch  of  Israel.  Occasionally  a  hole  was  broken 
through  the  top  of  the  passage,  that  the  thirsty  traveler  might 
refresh  himself  from  the  inviting  stream.  We  had  occasion 
several  times  to  try  the  quality  of  the  water,  and  found  it  ex- 
cellent. 

Although  the  pools  are  less  than  one  hour's  ride  from  Beth- 
lehem, we  indulged  ourselves  in  loitering  along  the  way,  stop- 


A    EE  MARK  ABLE  FOUNTAIN. 


199 


ping  occasionally  to  rest,  or  to  gather  flowers,  multitudes  of 
which,  of  bright  and  varied  colors,  strewed  our  way,  so  that  we 
did  not  reach  the  place  until  about  half-past  8  o'clock.  Upon 
entering  a  ravine  between  two  high  and  rocky  hills,  these  great 
works  of  antiquity  were  suddenly  revealed  to  our  view. 

They  have  so  often  been  described  in  the  letters  of  travelers, 
it  seems  unnecessary  to  detain  the  reader  by  any  minute  de- 
scription of  them.  They  are  partly  excavated  in  the  solid  rock, 
and  partly  built  up  of  hewn  stone.  Many  of  these  stones  are 
of  great  size,  and  bear  the  marks  of  great  antiquity.  There 
are  three  of  these  tanks,  ranged  along  the  ascent  of  the  valley, 
one  above  and  beyond  the  other,  so  constructed  that  the  bot- 
tom of  one  lies  as  high  or  higher  than  the  top  of  the  one  next 
below  it.  Thus,  when  the  lower  one  is  exhausted,  the  second 
can  be  emptied  into  it,  and  then  the  third  through  the  second. 
The  size  of  these  reservoirs  is  as  follows: 

Length.     Average   breadth.  Depth. 
Upper  Pool   380  feet,  232£  feet,  25  feet. 

Middle  Pool   423  feet,  232£  feet,  39  feet. 

Lower  Pool   582  feet,  177 J  feet,  50  feet. 

The  supply  of  water  is  abundant,  as  well  as  excellent — a  large 
stream  of  waste  water  flowing  down  the  valley  from  the  Lower 
Pool  after  the  aqueduct  is  supplied.  The  great  curiosity  con- 
nected with  these  pools  is  the  fountain  from  which  they  are 
tilled — a  place  generally  overlooked  by  visitors.  Dr.  Barclay, 
author  of  "  The  City  of  the  Great  King,"  whom  we  met  in  Je- 
rusalem, had  spoken  to  us  of  this  place,  and  told  us  how  to  find 
it,  and  advised  us  by  all  means  to  see  it.  Having  examined 
the  pools,  we  proceeded  in  a  northwestern  direction  some  forty 
rods,  to  an  open  field  covered  with  barley.  Here  we  found  a 
small  opening  in  the  ground  like  the  mouth  of  a  well,  nearly 
choked  up  by  dirt  and  rubbish.  It  was  a  forbidding  looking 
place,  both  from  the  dirt  and  smallness  of  the  aperture.  My 
companions  examined  it  as  well  as  they  could  from  the  top  of  the 
opening,  and  decided  they  would  not  attempt  to  enter.  I  told 
them  I  had  come  to  see  all  that  could  be  seen,  and  I  was  going 
down  if  it  was  possible.  So  it  was  arranged  I  should  first  enter 
the  well,  and  if  I  found  any  thing  worth  seeing,  I  should  call 


200 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


the  rest.  The  descent  was  perpendicular  for  a  little  more  than 
the  length  of  one's  body,  and  then  turned  in  an  angle  of  about, 
forty-five  degrees.  There  was  scarcely  room  to  crowd  the  body 
through,  and  I  was  soon  involved  in  darkness.  I  slipped  along 
a  muddy  inclined  plane  ten  to  fifteen  feet,  until  I  could  stand 
partly  erect.  Then  I  drew  from  my  pocket  matches  and  a  can- 
dle, and  struck  a  light.  Fifteen  or  twenty  feet  below  me  I  saw 
an  open  chamber,  and  heard  the  gush  of  running  waters.  I 
clambered  down  over  rocks  and  dirt  until  I  saw  the  place  was 
worth  a  visit,  and  then  returned  and  called  to  my  companions, 
and  one  after  another  they  crept  through  the  passage  into  the 
opening  below.  Three  or  four  candles  were  now  lighted,  and 
we  were  enabled  to  look  about  us  and  examine  the  wonderful 
place.  We  stood  in  a  vaulted  chamber  upwards  of  forty  feet 
long  and  near  twenty-five  broad,  the  sides  and  roof  protected 
by  stone  masonry.  Upon  one  side  of  this  there  was  an  opening 
into  another  smaller  apartment,  walled  in  the  same  manner. 
This  is  the  fountain  head  from  whence  the  large  reservoirs  and 
aqueduct  are  supplied.  The  water  springs  up  in  copious 
streams  from  four  different  places,  and  is  brought  by  smaller 
passages  into  a  large  basin,  from  whence  it  flows  off' in  a  broad 
subterraneous  passage.  This  passage  is  walled  and  arched,  and 
large  enough  for  three  men  to  walk  abreast.  We  did  not  care 
to  follow  it,  but  were  told  it  was  carried  to  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  Upper  Pool ;  there  it  branched  into  two,  a  portion  of  the 
stream  flowing  into  a  vault  twenty-four  by  five  feet,  and  from 
thence  into  the  Upper  Pool.  Another  carried  a  portion  of  the 
water  along  the  hill-side  by  the  pools,  and  was  so  arranged  as 
to  carry  a  part  into  the  second  and  third  pools,  and  the  re- 
mainder directly  to  the  great  aqueduct  below  the  pools,  from 
whence  it  was  carried  by  a  winding  course  to  Jerusalem.  The 
wisdom  of  this  arrangement,  for  the  production  of  an  unfailing 
supply,  is  at  once  apparent.  In  the  time  of  freshet,  when  the 
fountain  yielded  more  than  was  needed,  the  surplus  passed  into, 
and  was  preserved  in  the  pools.  In  the  time  of  drouth,  when 
the  supply  from  the  fountain  was  inadequate,  it  was  augmented 
from  the  pools.  The  entrance  to  this  underground  fountain 
was,  no  doubt,  guarded  with  great  care,  and  from  this  Solomon 


THE    SEALED  FOUNTAIN. 


201 


is  supposed  to  have  drawn  the  beautiful  comparison  used  in  his 
song:  "  A  garden  inclosed  is  my  sister,  my  spouse;  a  spring 
shut  up,  a  fountain  sealed ; "  and  hence  this  place  among  the 
monks  has  the  name  of  the  44  sealed  fountain." 


POOLS  OF  SOLOMON. 


The  annexed  diagram,  which  we  have  prepared  for  the  pur- 
pose, will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  pools  and  the  underground 
passages  by  which  the  water  is  conveyed  to  them,  than  any 
mere  verbal  description.  The  left  hand  denotes  the  upper  por- 
tion and  place  of  the  well,  and  the  white  lines  the  underground 
passages  by  which  the  water  is  conveyed  along  and  to  the  res- 
ervoirs. These  great  reservoirs  are  now  called  El  Burak,  and 
that  they  were  built  by  Solomon,  no  one,  I  believe,  questions. 
If  they  are  the  work  of  that  great  monarch,  for  near  three 
thousand  years  they  have  been  receiving  and  pouring  out  their 
inexhaustible  supply  of  waters.  They  are  not  only  ingeniously 
constructed,  but  are  built  upon  a  scale  of  magnificence  that 
would  be  creditable  to  the  art  and  enterprise  of  modern  days. 
From  this  place  the  Holy  City  and  Temple  were  supplied  with 
water.  The  termination  of  the  long  aqueduct,  it  is  said,  may 
still  be  seen  in  the  area  of  the  Harem  upon  Mount  Moriah, 
where  now  stands  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  but  where  once  stood, 
in  grandeur  and  glory,  the  magnificent  Temple  of  God. 

WALK   TO    HEBRON  CONTINUED. 

Having  finished  our  visit  to  Solomon's  Pools,  we  started  off 
in  the  direction  of  Hebron,  having  now  about  fifteen  miles  to 
walk  over  a  rocky  road,  and  under  the  full  rays  of  the  sun,  as 
they  fell  upon  us  from  a  cloudless  sky.  About  four  miles  south 
of  the  pools,  we  came  upon  a  broad  cultivated  valley,  where 
the  natives  were  diligently  at  work  in  the  cultivation  of  the 


202 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


soil.  They  were  mostly  dressed  in  Turkish  costume,  with  loose 
robes  gathered  at  the  bottom,  and  turbans  upon  their  heads. 
Most  of  them  had  broad  swords  or  cutlasses  dangling  at  theii 
sides,  and  their  old  flint-lock  guns  near  at  hand.  Their  imple- 
ments of  husbandry  were  of  the  rudest  kind.  Their  plows,  the 
same  as  used  two  thousand  years  ago — a  crooked  stick,  with  a 
pointed  iron  upon  the  end,  that  only  scratched  the  ground  two 
or  three  inches  deep;  their  yokes,  a  strait  stick  tied  to  the 
oxen's  horns.  Their  draft  animals  were  most  varied  and  fan- 
tastic. In  one  place  we  counted  nine  teams  plowing  in  one 
field.  One  man  had  a  tall,  lean  camel  harnessed  to  his  plow; 
another  an  ox,  another  a  cow,  and  a  fourth  a  little  donkey,  not 
much  larger  than  a  sheep,  yoked  to  a  very  small  heifer,  and  so 
on,  in  most  amusing  and  everchanging  variety. 

From  the  imperfect  manner  of  their  tillage,  their  crops,  of 
course,  are  very  light.  The  top  of  the  soil  is  worn  out  by  long 
cultivation,  and  no  renovating  measures  are  employed  to  in- 
crease its  fertility.  As  we  approached  Hebron,  we  found  the 
country  more  fertile,  and  in  a  better  state  of  cultivation  than 
any  other  portion  we  had  yet  seen.  The  valleys  were  broader, 
the  hill-sides  more  sloping,  and  sometimes  covered  with  brush- 
wood. Upon  many  of  the  steeper  acclivities  the  old  terraces 
were  still  kept  up,  and  vineyards,  and  the  olive  and  the  fig  yet 
flourished.  In  these  vineyards  could  be  seen  the  stone  towers 
and  the  wine  vats,  just  as  in  the  days  of  the  Savior.  It  was 
not  the  time  for  gathering  fruit,  so  we  were  not  permitted  to 
hear  the  joyous  shouts  of  the  vintage.  Occasionally  a  large 
flock  of  goats,  sometimes  intermingled  with  sheep,  could  be 
seen  upon  the  hill-sides,  generally  attended  by  young  persons 
or  children. 

I  noticed,  as  we  passed  along,  two  or  three  limekilns.  One 
at  first  wonders  how,  in  this  country  so  destitute  of  timber,  ami 
even  of  shrubs,  they  can  contrive  to  get  up  sufficient  heat  to 
make  lime.  It  is  done  by  gathering  various  kinds  of  woody 
herbage  that  grow  upon  the  hill- sides  and  along  the  valleys, 
and  leaving  them  exposed  to  the  hot  sun  till  they  are  thorough- 
ly dried.  Their  ovens  are  still  heated  with  the  same  material. 
I  several  times  saw  this  process  of  making  heat.    It  takes  an 


EXCURSION    TO  HEBRON. 


203 


incredible  amount  of  this  light  fuel,  but  they  succeed  in  mak- 
ing a  very  hot  tire,  and  when  necessary,  in  keeping  it  up  day 
after  day.  I  was  by  this  forcibly  reminded  of  the  words  of  the 
Savior:  "The  grass  of  the  field  that  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow 
is  cast  into  the  oven." 

But  we  are  now  close  upon  the  ancient  city.  The  soil  upon 
the  hill-sides  and  in  the  valleys  is  mostly  of  a  deep  yellow,  in 
some  places  quite  red.  Some  of  the  vines  you  pass  have  the 
marks  of  great  age.  Occasionally  we  walk  upon  the  remains 
of  the  pavement  of  the  ancient  road  that  once  constituted  the 
great  thoroughfare  to  Jerusalem.  Important  personages  have 
traveled  along  the  way  we  are  now  walking.  Over  this  road 
Abraham  probably  traveled  on  that  solemn  errand,  when  he 
went  with  his  son  Isaac  to  lay  him,  in  obedience  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Almighty,  upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice.  Over  this 
road  Jacob  walked  on  his  journey  to  Haran,  when  he  fled  from 
his  angry  brother  Esau.  Over  this  road  David  led  his  invading 
army,  when  he  went  up  and  wrested  Jerusalem  from  the  pos- 
session of  the  Jebusites,  and  made  it  the  city  of  the  Great  King, 
and  the  capital  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  And  here,  too,  proba- 
bly, Joseph  and  Mary  passed  with  the  child  Jesus,  when  they 
tied  from  the  blood-thirsty  Herod  into  Egypt.  Come,  stand 
upon  this  eminence  and  look  out  upon  these  hills,  yet  covered 
with  the  vine,  and  cast  your  eye  along  the  rich 

VALLEY    OP  ESCHOL. 

Now  you  are  reminded  of  the  story  of  the  spies,  sent  out  by 
Moses  as  he  emerged  from  the  great  wilderness,  and  came  upon 
the  borders  of  the  Promised  Land.  And  is  it  possible  that 
grapes  ever  grow  here  in  such  enormous  clusters  as  this  narra- 
tive represents?  These  hills  enjoy  an  elevation,  and  are  favored 
with  a  climate  in  which  the  vine  flourishes  most  luxuriantly. 
Indeed,  Jewish  tradition  says  the  vine  here  had  its  primeval 
seat.  Here,  according  to  the  prophetic  declaration  of  Jacob, 
Judah  was  to  have  his  inheritance:  "Binding  his  foal  unto  the 
vine,  and  his  asses'  colt  unto  the  choice  vine,  he  washed  his 
garments  in  wine  and  his  clothes  in  the  blood  of  grapes."  It 
was  not  the  time  of  grapes  when  I  was  here,  but  modern  ac- 


204 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


counts  sufficiently  confirm  the  fact,  the  Eschol  grape  still  pro 
duces  clusters  of  astonishing  size.  The  autumn  before  leaving 
home  I  visited  a  grapery  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  the  propri- 
etor was  cultivating  a  slip  from  a  vine  in  this  valley,  and  it 
then  had  two  clusters  not  yet  ripe,  each  two  and  a  half  feet 
long,  and  which  would  weigh  from  six  to  eight  pounds,  and  I 
was  assured  they  had  been  grown  in  other  graperies  much 
larger  than  this.  If  such  is  the  size  of  these  clusters  when 
grown  in  foreign  climes,  what  might  we  not  expect  to  see, 
when  growing  in  their  own  native  soil,  and  under  the  genial 
influence  of  their  own  sunny  clime  ?  Indeed,  the  testimony  of 
many  travelers  unite  in  fixing  the  weight  of  some  of  these  clus- 
ters at  from  ten  to  fourteen  pounds.  But  here,  too,  is  the 
Plain  of  Mam  re,  and  there  is 

ABRAHAM'S  OAK, 

Spreading  wide  its  luxuriant  shade.  Just  by  it  is  a  beautiful 
spring  of  water,  and  you  may  come  and  refresh  yourself,  and 
find  protection  from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun.  The  Lord 
appeared  unto  Abraham  in  the  Plain  of  Mam  re,  or,  as  some  say, 
it  should  be  translated  "the  Plain  of  Oaks;"  and  he  sat  in  his 
tent  door  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  It  was  while  thus  seated  the 
angels  appeared  to  him,  and  announced  the  solemn  event  of  the 
approaching  obstruction  of  the  cities  of  the  plain.  And 
that  high  eminence,  a  little  to  the  east  of  us — a  mountain-top, 
from  which  you  can  see  the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  deep  valley  of  the  Jordan  on  the 
other — is  pointed  out  as  the  spot  where  this  hoary  patriarch 
stood,  and  saw  the  smoke  of  Sodom  ascending  from  the  deep 
gulf  between  the  mountains  of  Moab  on  the  east,  and  the  hills 
of  Engedi  on  the  west. 

"But  you  do  not  believe,"  says  one,  "this  is  the  oak  under 
which  Abraham  pitched  his  tent?"  Iso;  though  some  of  the 
credulous  Arabs  about  you  will  affirm  it  is  the  veritable  one. 
But  though  not  the  one,  it  is  a  descendant,  and  a  conspicuous 
one  among  the  very  few  representatives  of  its  ancient  progeni- 
tor. There  it  stands,  and  there  it  has  stood  probably  for  a 
thousand  years.    This  tree  stands  alone,  the  ground  about  it 


HISTORY   OF  HEBRON. 


207 


smooth  and  covered  with  a  thick  carpet  of  grass.  It  is  twenty- 
three  feet  in  circumference  at  the  base,  and  its  huge  branches 
spread  over  a  diameter  of  about  ninety  feet.  It  stands,  one  of 
the  last  of  that  sacred  forest,  where  Abraham  entertained 
angels  as  his  guests,  and  communed  familiarly  with  his  Maker. 
A  walk  of  about  twenty-five  minutes  from  Abraham's  Oak 
down  the  valley  brings  us  to 

HEBRON. 

This  is  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  the  world,  and  has  a  long 
and  varied  history,  but  we  can  not  dwell  upon  it  here.  A 
thousand  interesting  incidents  are  connected  with  it.  Every 
spot  about  it  has  been  consecrated  by  the  tread  of  patriarchs 
and  prophets.  In  the  days  of  Abraham's  first  visit  it  was 
called  Kirjath  Arba,  from  Arba,  the  father  6*f  Anak,  from  whom 
descended  the  giant  Anakims.  The  Israelites,  under  Joshua, 
took  it  from  the  descendants  of  Anak,  and  it  was  assigned  to 
the  Levites,  and  subsequently  set  apart  as  one  of  the  six  cities 
of  refuge.  David,  upon  his  accession  to  the  throne  of  Judah, 
established  himself  at  Hebron,  and  reigned  here  seven  and  a 
half  years  prior  to  the  removal  of  his  court  to  Jerusalem. 
The  city  was  laid  in  ruins  at  the  time  of  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity, and  rebuilt  after  the  return  of  the  Jews.     It  was  after- 

v  wards  conquered  and  held  by  the  Edomites,  and  rescued  from 
them  by  Judas  Maccabeus.  Then  came  the  Roman  conquest, 
and  it  is  said  thousands  of  the  captive  Jews  were  brought  here, 
and  sold  into  slavery  at  the  Oak  beside  Hebron.  Afterwards 
came  the  Mohammedan  desolation,  and  then  the  victorious 

.  Crusaders,  and  the  city  under  them  was  made  a  Latin  bishopric. 
The  Moslems  again  displaced  the  Crusaders,  and  have  since 
remained  masters  of  the  place.  What  changes  have  here  taken 
place  since  the  patriarchs  made  this  their  favorite  camping 
ground,  and  their  flocks  herded  in  these  valleys,  and  grazed 
upon  these  hill-sides! 

Modern  Hebron  contains  a  population  of  about  ten  thousand. 
The  houses  are  mostly  of  stone,  two  to  three  stories  high,  and 
very  strongly  built.  For  some  half  a  mile  before  entering  the 
city,  we  were  traveling  upon  a  road  coarsely  paved  with  large 


208 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


bowlders,  and  walled  on  each  side  five  or  six  feet  high.  An 
archway  supporting  a  gate,  seemed  to  be  built  merely  to  de- 
fend the  road,  as  there  is  no  wall  about  the  town.  A  small 
garrison  of  Turkish  soldiers  are  quartered  here,  as  well  as  in  all 
the  other  prominent  towns  of  Palestine.  We  entered  the  place 
about  two  o'clock.  There  is  no  hotel,  or  public  house,  for  the 
accommodation  of  travelers.  We  made  application  to  a  Jew 
who  had  been  recommended  to  us  at  Jerusalem.  One  of  our 
number  could  converse  with  him  in  German,  and  in  that  lan- 
guage the  negotiation  was  conducted.  There  were  seven  of  us  in 
company.  He  had  but  one  room  and  one  bed.  It  was  at  last  ar- 
ranged that  we  should  have  the  room,  lunch,  supper  and  break- 
fast for  five  dollars.  They  were  a  kind-hearted  family,  and 
did  the  best  they  could  for  us ;  but  with  the  miserable,  filthy 
cookery,  the  camp  6n  the  floor,  and  the  multitude  of  fleas,  we 
did  not  pass  a  delightfully  pleasant  night. 

We  learned  from  our  host  that  there  were  about  forty  fam- 
ilies of  Jews  in  the  place.  Many  of  the  race  make  a  pilgrim- 
age here  to  visit  the  home  and  burial  place  of  their  great 
ancestor,  but  Moslem  intolerance  prevents  many  of  them  from 
making  it  a  home.  Aside  from  a  few  Jews,  Turkish  soldiers  and 
native  Mohammedans  make  up  the  population.  Franks  and 
the  Frank  dress  are  much  more  of  a  novelty  here  than  at  Je- 
rusalem and  Bethlehem,  as  but  few  visit  the  place.  The  people 
stared  at  us;  the  children  followed  after  us;  some  of  the  ruder 
ones  hooted  at  us,  and  occasionally  a  stone  would  come  whirl- 
ing along  our  path.  We  walked  through  the  bazars,  and 
bought  oranges,  figs  and  raisins,  and  visited  some  of  the  estab- 
lishments where  glass  bracelets,  beads  and  other  ornaments  are 
made,  large  quantities  of  which  are  manufactured  here  and 
exported  to  other  cities. 

Among  the  curiosities  of  the  place  are  two  large  pools,  or 
reservoirs  of  water,  evidently  of  great  antiquity.  The  lower 
one  is  called  the  Pool  of  David. 

It  is  a  square,  each  side  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  the 
depth  fifty  feet.  It  is  very  firmly  built,  with  large  hewn  stones. 
It  affords  an  abundant  supply  of  water,  a  large  stream  constant- 
ly flowing  through  it.    This  is  supposed  to  be  the  pool  over 


VISIT    TO  HEBKON. 


209 


which  David  hung  the  murderers  of  Ishbosheth,  as  recorded  in 
the  4th  chapter  of  2nd  Samuel.  Tradition  also  points  out 
some  other  localities  here,  but  they  need  evidence  to  authenti- 
cate them,  or  are  too  absurd  to  claim  credence,  and  we  did  not 
inquire  for  them.  Such  are  the  tombs  of  Abner — of  Jesse, 
David's  father — the  spot  where  Abel  fell  beneath  the  murder- 
ous hand  of  Cain,  and  the  red  earth  from  which  Adam  was 
made.  But  the  great  attraction  of  the  place,  the  sacred  spot 
which  Jew,  Christian  and  Moslem  alike  reverence,  is  the 

CAVE    OF  MACHPELAH. 

Sarah  died  in  Kirjath  Arba — the  same  is  Hebron — and  Ab- 
raham came  to  mourn  for  Sarah,  and  to  weep  for  her.  But 
Abraham  was  among  strangers,  and  had  as  yet  made  no  pro- 
vision for  the  burial  of  his  dead.  The  stern  necessity  was  now 
forced  upon  him  by  this  bereavement.  He  had  received  the 
promise  of  the  Almighty,  that  this  land  should  be  a  lasting  in- 
heritance for  his  children,  and  why  should  he  not  now  make 
arrangements  for  a  permanent  resting  place  for  himself  and 
family  ?  A  negotiation  was  conducted  in  true  oriental  style, 
and  the  first  bargain  and  sale  which  we  have  on  record,  resulted 
in  the  purchase  of  the  sons  of  Heth,  of  the  cave  of  Machpelah. 
The  specification  is  very  definite.  He  bought  the  field  and  the 
cave  that  was  therein,  and  all  the  trees  that  were  in  the  field, 
and  that  were  in  the  borders  round  about.  The  purchase  price 
was  four  hundred  shekels  of  silver,  and  the  title  deed  was  con- 
firmed in  the  presence  of  the  children  of  Heth,  at  the  gate  of 
the  city,  before  all  that  went  in  and  out. 

This  cave  is  upon  the  hill-side,  close  upon  the  borders  of  the 
city.  Of  the  identity  of  the  place  there  can  be  little  doubt. 
Through  a  long  succession  of  near  four  thousand  years  it  has 
been  preserved ;  Jews,  Christians,  and  Moslems  have  in  turn 
possessed  it,  and  watched  over  it  with  jealous  care.  It  is  now 
inclosed  by  a  massive  stone  wall,  two  hundred  feet  long,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  broad,  and  about  sixty  feet  high. 
Within  this  harem,  as  it  is  called,  or  forbidden  inclosure,  stands 
a  Turkish  mosque,  once  a  Christian  church,  and  for  aught  I 
know,  before  that  a  Jewish  synagogue.    Beneath  that  mosque 


210  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

is  the  cave.  The  story  of  the  little  cluster  of  graves  concealed 
there,  is  best  told  in  the  pathetic  language  of  Jacob.  In  the 
land  of  Egypt  he  gathered  his  sons  around  his  dying  bed,  and 
exacted  an  oath  from  them  that  he  should  not  be  buried  among 
strangers  in  Egypt.  "I  am  to  be  gathered  unto  my  people ; 
bury  me  with  my  fathers  in  the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  of 
Ephron,  the  Hittite.  There  they  buried  Abraham  and  Sarah 
his  wife ;  there  they  buried  Isaac  and  Kebekah  his  wife ;  and 
there  I  buried  Leah." 

And  Joseph  went  up  from  Egypt  with  a  great  retinue  of 
chariots  and  horsemen,  and  servants,  and  kindred,  with  great 
pomp  and  ceremony,  and  laid  the  embalmed  body  of  his  father 
to  rest  with  his  kindred.  Here,  then,  within  that  massive  wall, 
beneath  the  dome  of  that  mosque,  are  enshrined  the  ashes  of 
the  six  ancestors  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
the  Jew  still  lingers  around  this  consecrated  spot — that  they 
should  cling  to  it  as  they  do  to  the  moss-grown  stones  that  mark 
the  foundation  of  their  Holy  Temple  ? 

Would  you  like  to  visit  this  sepulchral  abode  of  the  vener- 
able dead?  You  attempt  it  at  your  peril.  You  will  not  have 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  stone  steps  that  ascend  to  the  door 
of  the  inclosure,  before  a  dozen  Turkish  soldiers  will  stand 
athwart  your  path,  and  a  dozen  gleaming  bayonets  will  warn 
you  back.  Like  the  tomb  of  David,  on  Mount  Zion,  or  the 
site  of  Solomon's  Temple,  on  Mount  Moriah,  it  is  too  sacred  a 
place  to  be  polluted  by  the  foot  of  a  Christian.  For  many 
hundreds  of  years  it  has  been  thus  jealously  guarded  and  it 
has  been  only  by  accident  or  stealth  that  any  knowledge  of  the 
interior  could  be  obtained.  Why  is  this?  Mohammedans  have 
a  high  regard  for  the  patriarchs  of  Old  Testament  history,  espe- 
cially for  Abraham,  whom  they  call  El-Kludil — "  the  friend  of 
God."  In  the  long  succession  of  wars  that  have  taken  place 
for  the  possession  of  these  ancient  and  sacred  places,  in  which 
Jew,  Christian,  and  Mohammedan  have  alternately  held  the 
mastery,  a  deep  and  settled  spirit  of  hostility  has  been  nurtured. 
Eor  many  generations  it  has  been  perpetuated,  and  many  more 
will  elapse  before  it  will  be  eradicated.  After  many  changes, 
the  Mohammedans,  in  1187,  succeeded  in  wresting  this  place 


CAVE   OF  MACHPELAH. 


211 


from  the  crusading  Christians.  They  converted  the  church 
into  a  mosque,  closed  the  gates  against  the  admission  of  Chris- 
tians, and  with  most  unwavering  hostility,  have  not  to  this  day 
relaxed  in  the  least  their  jealous  watchfulness  over  it. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  early  history  of  Hebron,  its  wars  and 
changes— of  the  crusading  period,  when  again  and  again  it 
was  ravaged  by  successive  masters.  Its  modern  history  has  not 
been  more  favorable  for  its  peace  and  prosperity.  It  was  oc- 
casionally visited  by  travelers,  until  towards  the  latter  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  From  that  period,  through  a  long 
succession  of  years,  few,  if  any,  Frank  travelers  found  their 
way  to  it.  The  people  were  restless,  hostile  and  warlike. 
About  one  hundred  years  ago,  Bethlehem  and  Hebron  waged 
a  bloody  war  against  each  other,  and  a  majority  of  the  best  in- 
habitants of  both  villages,  as  well  as  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, were  destroyed.  The  neighborhood  of  Bethlehem  was 
ravaged  and  laid  waste.  From  1806  to  1833,  mention  is  made 
of  only  five  or  six  Frank  travelers  visiting  this  place.  In  1834, 
Hebron  and  the  surrounding  country  engaged  in  a  desperate 
rebellion  against  their  Turkish  rulers.  But  they  only  brought 
heavy  chastisements  upon  themselves.  Ibrahim  Pasha  marched 
down  upon  them  with  a  large  force;  the  rebels  met  him,  and 
gave  him  battle  near  Solomon's  Pools.  Here  they  suffered  a 
signal  defeat,  and  retreating,  they  intrenched  themselves  in 
Hebron.  Ibrahim  carried  the  place  by  storm,  and  vexed  at 
the  obstinacy  of  the  inhabitants,  gave  it  up  to  be  sacked  and 
pillaged  by  his  soldiers.  From  this  blow,  it  is  said  Hebron 
has  never  recovered.  As  one  of  the  results  of  this  war,  all 
obstacles  to  the  visit  of  travelers  have  been  removed,  and  more 
or  less  every  year  find  their  way  here,  to  look  upon  the  home 
of  the  ancient  patriarchs. 

I  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill  that  overlooks  the  city,  and 

the  harem  inclosing  the  cave,  that,  amid  all  these  changes,  has 

commanded  the  respect  of  conquerors  and  conquered.    I  sat 

down  upon  a  large  rock,  and  mused  upon  the  events  that  had 

transpired  around  me.    Thought  wandered  back  into  the  dim 

obscurity  of  the  earliest  records  of  our  race.    I  looked  away 

toward  the  east — the  land  "the  other  side  of  the  llood" — the 
13 


212  THE    HOLT  LAND. 

ancient  home  of  the  Chaldean  race.  I  saw  Abraham,  the 
father  of  the  faithful,  separating  himself  from  his  home  and 
kindred,  wandering  in  the  land  of  strangers,  until  he  came  and 
pitched  his  tent  under  the  oak  upon  the  plain  that  lay  just  at 
my  feet.  I  saw  him  communing  with  angels,  and  conversing 
familiarly  with  his  God.  I  saw  Isaac,  in  the  blindness  of  his 
old  age,  laying  his  hand  upon  the  head  of  Jacob,  and  pro- 
nouncing the  blessing  upon  him.  I  looked  away  southward: 
I  saw  Jacob,  with  all  his  household  of  children  and  servants, 
taking  his  departure  toward  Egypt,  to  escape  the  desolations 
of  the  famine,  and  to  be  nurtured  in  that  land  of  plenty  by 
his  son  Joseph,  whom  he  had  long  supposed  dead.  I  saw  that 
dutiful  son  returning  with  the  embalmed  body  of  his  father,  to 
lay  him,  in  obedience  to  his  promise,  in  that  sepulchral  cave  just 
beneath  me,  where  they  buried  Abraham  and  Sarah,  Isaac  and 
Rebekah,  and  where  he  had  buried  Leah;  and  then,  in  imagin- 
ation, I  looked  down  into  that  home  of  the  illustrious  dead. 
Would  that  I  could  with  one  stroke  annihilate  the  intolerance 
that  for  near  seven  hundred  years  has  held  dominion  there  ; 
throw  open  those  iron  doors  and  enter.  But  what  would  I  see  ? 
Could  I  find  the  tomb  of  the  "Father  of  the  Faithful?" 
Could  I  recognize  the  ashes  of  Isaac,  the  child  of  promise,  in 
whose  seed  the  nations  of  the  earth  have  been  blessed  ?  But 
Jacob  was  embalmed,  and  many  bodies  embalmed  long  before 
his  death  still  exist.  How  I  should  like  to  look  for  once  on 
the  form  of  that  old  patriarch,  upon  whose  monument  the 
storms  of  thirty-five  hundred  years  have  spent  their  force. 

I  was  aroused  from  my  re  very  by  a  troop  of  young  Hebron- 
ites,  who  came  noisily  upon  me,  with  a  lot  of  old  coins,  beads 
and  relics,  which  they  were  anxious  to  dispose  of  for  a  few 
piasters.  I  stopped  to  barter  with  them,  and  they  followed 
me  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  into  the  town,  until  I  was 
forced,  even  with  rudeness,  to  check  their  importunities. 

Our  visit  to  the  home  of  the  patriarchs  was  over.  We  had 
fifteen  to  eighteen  miles  to  walk  on  our  return,  and  the  sun 
was  already  shining  hot  in  the  heavens.  We  bade  farewell  to 
the  Jewish  family  that  had  opened  their  doors  for  us,  left 


VISIT    TO  ETHAM. 


213 


Hebron  and  all  its  interesting  associations  behind,  and  retraced 
our  steps  homeward. 

SOLOMON'S    BEAUTIFUL  GARDENS. 

As  we  approached  Bethlehem,  we  again  turned  aside  from 
our  main  path  into  a  valley  bounded  on  each  side  by  high  rocky 
hills,  pointed  out  as  the  site  of  ancient  Etam,  or  Etham,  the 
supposed  place  of  Solomon's  gardens.  Its  location  is  in  the 
valley,  just  below  the  Pools  of  Solomon.  Josephus  speaks  of 
a  place  about  six  miles  from  Jerusalem,  called  Etham,  pleasant 
for  its  fine  gardens,  and  abounding  in  rivulets  of  water,  to 
which  Solomon  was  accustomed  to  make  his  morning  drives, 
sitting  on  high  in  his  chariot.  The  same  great  monarch,  allud- 
ing to  himself,  says:  "I  made  me  great  works;  I  builded  me 
houses;  I  planted  me  vineyards;  I  made  me  gardens  and 
orchards,  and  I  planted  trees  in  them  of  all  kinds  of  fruit;  I 
made  me  pools  of  water,  to  water  therewith  the  wood  that 
bringeth  forth  trees."  Eccl.  ii,  4,  5.  Tradition  has  long 
pointed  out  this  valley  as  the  place  alluded  to  in  these  quota- 
tions. The  valley  is  a  narrow  one,  but  very  fertile ;  high,  shelv- 
ing banks  of  limestone  rising  on  either  side,  and  a  beautiful 
stream  of  clear  water  dashing  along  its  rocky  bed.  A  miserable 
Arab  village,  mostly  in  ruins,  called  Urtas,  has  long  existed 
here.  A  few  ruins  are  scattered  about  the  valley,  a  wall  of 
hewn  stone,  the  massive  foundation  of  an  ancient  tower,  exca- 
vated rocks,  and  old  grottoes  in  the  hill-sides,  are  the  memen- 
toes of  ancient  and  more  prosperous  times. 

A  few  years  since  a  Mr.  Mashellam,  a  converted  Jew,  com- 
menced improvements  here,  intending  to  instruct  young  Jews 
in  agricultural  arts,  and  prepare  them  to  gain  a  livelihood  by 
cultivating  the  soil  of  their  fatherland.  His  efforts  thus  far 
have  been  very  successful.  Under  his  transforming  hand,  the 
neglected  valley  is  assuming  its  ancient  fertility  and  beauty. 
He  is  able  to  irrigate  the  soil  by  the  copious  streams  of  water 
that  come  down,  not  only  from  the  old  pools  of  Solomon,  but 
other  portions  of  the  valley  above.  I  saw  him  at  work  in  his 
grounds,  in  the  midst  of  vineyards,  fig  and  olive  groves,  a  little 
paradise  of  greenness  and  verdure,  in  contrast  with  the  barren, 


214 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


rocky  hills  around.  The  productiveness  of  the  soil,  he  assured 
me,  was  wonderful.  By  properly  arranging  his  succession  of 
crops,  he  gets  four  harvests  in  a  year. 

But  the  design  we  have  in  making  such  particular  allusion  to 
this  place,  is  to  call  attention  to  some  excavations  of  ancient 
ruins  just  being  made.  A  short  time  before  I  was  there,  Mr. 
Mashellam,  in  digging  in  a  portion  of  these  grounds,  came 
upon  a  wall  of  heavy  stone  that  excited  his  curiosity,  and 
through  the  assistance  of  some  French  gentlemen,  interested 
in  antiquities,  who  furnished  him  capital,  he  had,  when  I  was 
there,  near  a  hundred  Arab  men,  Women  and  children,  at  work, 
clearing  the  dirt  and  rubbish  from  this  work  of  ancient  times, 
that  for  many  generations  had  been  entirely  covered  by  the 
accumulated  debris  of  the  valley.  "  And  what,"  you  ask, 
"were  these  ruins,  and  to  what  age,  and  to  whose  constructing 
hand  are  they  likely  to  be  traced?"  A  large  room,  some 
twenty  feet  by  forty,  had 'been  cleared  when  I  was  there,  with 
sides  of  hewn  stone,  and  polished  marble  ornaments,  with 
marble  floor,  inlaid  with  mosaics.  A  division  wall  separated 
this  large  room  into  two,  in  the  smaller  one  of  which  were  the 
marble  baths,  with*  the  water  courses,  and  fountains,  and  retir- 
ing rooms,  just  as  they  originally  stood  when  in  use. 

These  discoveries  seemed  about  to  confirm  the  ancient  tradi- 
tions relating  to  this  spot.  Here  were  the  gardens,  and  here 
the  fountains,  of  costly  and  elaborate  workmanship,  that 
adorned  the  grounds.  How  wonderful  are  the  revelations  of 
modern  researches  and  discoveries !  What  a  reflection,  as  the 
mind,  with  the  rapidity  of  thought,  wandered  backward 
nearly  three  thousand  years !  And  here  the  great  and  wise 
monarch  of  Israel  had  lived,  planned  and  executed  !  Here  he 
had  acquired  a  portion  of  that  experience,  that,  from  its  unsat- 
isfactory results,  had  led  him  to  pronounce  the  sentence, 
"Vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity."  The  queen  of  Sheba  came 
from  the  far  south  to  see  the  wisdom  of  Solomon.  Did  that 
monarch,  when  he  walked  upon  the  walls  of  yonder  huge 
reservoirs,  or  rested  in  the  fragrant  shades  of  these  gardens, 
or  cooled  himself  in  these  costly  baths,  ever  dream  that  in 
long,  long  ages  after,  men  and  women  would  come,  not  from 


MOURNING  WOMEN. 


215 


Ethiopia,  but  from  the  far  distant  regions  of  a  then  unknown 
world,  and  from  far  across  unknown  waters,  to  stand  where  he 
stood,  to  wonder  at  his  greatness,  and  be  astonished  at  the  ex- 
humed monuments  of  his  wealth  and  power? 

Again  we  climbed  the  rocky  hill-side  that  led  up  to  Bethle- 
hem. .Night  was  settling  down  upon  the  landscape  as  the 
doors  of  the  convent  were  opened  for  us,  and  with  weary  limbs 
and  blistered  feet,  we  sought  refreshment  and  rest. 

A    MORNING    IN  BETHLEHEM. 

April  11th.  On  going  out  of  the  convent  gate  this  morning, 
I  had  an  illustration  of  the  practice  of  mourning  for  the  dead, 
reminding  one  vividly  of  the  allusions  in  scripture.  Just  east 
of  the  convent  gate  was  a  small  burying-ground,  and  a  number 
of  women  were  seated  around  a  new-made  grave,  all  dressed  in 
long  white  robes,  with  white  vails,  uttering  shrill,  piercing 
wails  of  sorrow.  On  inquiry,  I  found  the  interment  had  taken 
place  the  day  before,  and  the  women  this  morning,  like  Mary 
of  old,  were  "  early  at  the  sepulchre."  I  was  also  reminded 
of  what  the  Jews  said  of  the  sister  of  Lazarus,  when  she  left 
the  house,  "  She  goeth  to  th£  grave  to  weep  there." 

We  had  also  a  little  time  to  wander  about  the  town,  visit  the 
shops  and  trade  with  the  natives,  during  which  time,  after 
much  effort  and  long  bartering,  I  succeeded  in  purchasing  one 
of  the  curious  head-dresses  worn  by  the  girls.  I  had  several 
times  before  endeavored  to  procure  one,  but  without  success, 
as  the  young  ladies  seem  extremely  loth  to  part  wTith  them. 
They  consist  of  a  woolen  cap,  fitting  close  to  the  head,  cloth 
more  or  less  rich  and  embellished,  ornamented  in  front  with 
heavy  rows  of  coin.  The  one  I  purchased,  I  found,  upon  more 
minute  examination,  was  ornamented  with  more  than  two  hun- 
dred pieces  of  silver  coin,  ranging  in  value  from  three  cents  to 
half  a  dollar,  making  an  aggregate  value  of  a  little  over  nine 
dollars,  besides  the  silver  chain  used  to  fasten  it  under  the  chin. 
Our  visit  was  ended.  Adieu,  Bethlehem,  birth-place  of  the 
Savior !  Adieu,  ye  plains  where  shepherds  kept  their  flocks, 
where  David  held  communion  with  his  God  !  A  walk  of  five 
miles,  and  again  we  were  in  Jerusalem. 


216 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Excursion  to  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea — Ancient  and  Mod- 
ern Jericho — Ford  of  the  Jordan — Appearance  op  the  Sea. 

We  had  now  another  excursion  to  make,  one  to  which  we 
had  looked  forward  with  great  interest,  and  for  which  we  had 
been  several  days  preparing — this  was  a  visit  to  Jordan  and  the 
Dead  Sea.  This  excursion  usually  occupies  three  days — the  first 
day  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho — here  you  spend  the  night ; 
the  second  day  to  the  ford  of  the  Jordan,  thence  to  the  Dead 
Sea,  and  back  to  Jericho,  where  you  spend  the  second  night ; 
thence,  the  third  day  returning  to  Jerusalem.  Here  you  are 
going  into  a  hostile  portion  of  the  country,  and  must  take  your 
supplies  with  you — provisions,  tent,  etc.;  and  as  the  safety  of 
the  country  has  not  improved  since  the  days  of  the  Savior, 
when  a  certain  man  went  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and 
fell  among  thieves,  you  must  take  an  armed  escort  with  you. 
The  Arabs  on  the  Jerusalem  side  of  the  Jordan  are  all  friendly  ; 
it  is  the  Moabite  Arabs,  from  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan,  who 
are  constantly  making  predatory  excursions  across  to  the  plains 
of  Jericho,  against  whom  you  have  to  guard.  Two  or  three 
robberies  had  already  taken  place  this  season,  and  we  were  ad- 
monished to  be  on  the  alert 

A  sheik  of  the  friendly  tribe  who  lived  near  Jericho,  and  who 
had  come  up  to  Jerusalem  in  search  of  employment,  offered 
us  his  services.  The  usual  price  charged  by  the  sheiks  is  about 
five  dollars  for  each  traveler,  but  as  there  were  some  twelve  or 
fifteen  of  us  to  go,  he  concluded  to  charge  us  only  about  two 
and  a  half  dollars  apiece.  The  keeper  of  the  German  Hospice 
furnished  us  horses  and  tents,  with  servants  to  attend  to  and 
manage  them  for  us ;  this  cost  us  each  about  one  dollar  and  a 
quarter  a  day,  while  each  one  was  expected  to  look  out  for 


A    KIDE   TO  JERICHO 


217 


himself  for  his  three  days'  rations.  Myself  and  comrade  put  a 
couple  of  dollars  into  the  right  hand  of  Joseph,  our  convent 
cook,  and  a  liberal  backsheesh  into  his  left,  and  forthwith  our 
traveling  bags  were  so  bountifully  stuffed  from  the  convent 
stores,  with  bread,  ham,  fried  chickens,  cheese,  raisins,  figs  and 
the  like,  that  no  fears  of  famine  haunted  us  during  our  excur- 
sion. Under  this  arrangement,  our  three  days'  excursion  cost 
us  about  nine  dollars  each.  A  more  common  method  is  to  hire 
a  dragoman,  who  furnishes  escort,  tents,  provisions,  and  all 
needed  requisites;  in  this  way  it  usually  costs  each  traveler 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  dollars. 

All  things  being  in  readiness,  we  left  Jerusalem  between  ten 
and  eleven  o'clock,  passed  out  of  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  crossed 
the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  and  the  brook  Kidron,  wound 
around  the  southern  brow  of  Olivet,  leaving  Bethany  a  little 
distance  upon  our  left.  In  about  an  hour,  having  passed  over 
a  desolate  looking  rocky  ridge,  and  wound  our  way  down  a 
long  stony  declivity  into  a  deep,  wild  looking  ravine,  we  came  to 
a  fine  fountain  of  water.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  Enshe- 
mesh  mentioned  by  Joshua,  xv.  7,  in  designating  the  boundaries 
of  the  tribes.  The  fountain  was  formerly  fitted  up  at  great  ex- 
pense ;  a  large  stone  trough  still  remains,  and  over  it  an  old 
Saracenic  arch,  while  the  great  hewn  stones  that  once  consti- 
tuted the  building  are  scattered  about  in  wild  confusion.  At 
this  place  travelers  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  always  stop 
to  refresh  themselves;  and  here,  no  doubt,  the  Savior  and 
his  disciples  often  rested  as  they  passed  between  the  two  places. 

Leaving  this  fountain,  we  passed  on  for  a  couple  of  hours 
through  a  rough,  hilly  country.  The  valleys  were  cultivated, 
and  occasionally  a  fellah  could  be  seen  driving  his  antique 
looking  plow  through  the  soil,  while  cultivated  patches  of 
barley  could  be  seen  upon  the  hill-sides,  and  occasionally  a 
flock  of  sheep  or  goats,  watched  by  the  women  or  children. 
These  hills  still  bore  traces' of  the  ancient  terraces,  and  in  the 
growing  crops  gave  evidence  of  the  fertility  they  still  possessed. 
Soon  the  country  became  more  wild  and  broken  ;  the  hills  rose 
up  in  rugged  aspect  about  us,  and  the  defiles  were  deep  and 
narrow.    Some  idea  of  these  may  be  formed  from  the  picture 


218 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


upon  the  opposite  page.  About  one  o'clock  we  were  climbing 
along  a  rocky  ascent,  so  difficult,  both  from  the  steepness  of 
its  sides  and  of  the  rocks  that  blocked  the  road,  we  were  com- 
pelled to  dismount  and  lead  our  horses.  On  the  top  of  this 
bleak  elevation,  we  found  the  ruins  of  an  immense  stone 
building ;  old,  dilapidated  walls  and  ruined  arches  are  still  left 
standing.  There  is  also  a  deep  well,  cut  in  the  solid  rock, 
while  great  caverns  have  been  hewn  in  the  hill-sides.  When 
and  by  whom  these  were  constructed,  none  can  now  tell.  Upon 
this  hill  we  stopped,  and  in  the  shade  of  the  old  walls  took 
our  noon-day  lunch. 

Again  we  were  on  our  way,  sometimes  climbing  the  hill-sides, 
sometimes  making  a  precipitous  descent  into  some  deep  valley ; 
now  we  were  trying  to  select  the  place  where  the  man  in  the 
parable  fell  among  thieves,  and  sometimes  were  wondering  if 
such  a  place  was  not  the  location  of  the  inn  where  the  good 
Samaritan  brought  him.  Then,  again,  we  were  trying  to  im- 
agine if  there  was  any  danger  of  our  sharing  the  same  fate ; 
and  as  we  looked  along  some  rocky  gorge,  we  could  almost 
fancy  we  caught  glimpses  of  the  lurking  Bedawin,  with  his 
old  musket  and  flowing  robe.  As  we  approached  the  Jordan, 
the  country  became  more  broken — the  mountains  higher— the 
ravines  deeper — the  peaks  sharper,  their  sides  more  precipit- 
ous, sometimes  broken  into  ragged  cliffs,  rising  almost  perpen- 
dicularly to  a  dizzy  bight.  These  cliffs  were  mostly  limestone, 
sometimes  of  a  chalky  whiteness,  resting  upon  a  base  of  varie- 
gated flint.  One  writer  aptly  remarks  of  these  mountains, 
they  "seem  to  have  been  loosened  from  their  foundations,  and 
rent  to  pieces  by  some  terrible  convulsion,  and  then  left  to  be 
scathed  by  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun." 

ELIJAH    AND    THE  RAVENS. 

About  four  o'clock,  as  we  wound  our  way,  at  a  high  elevation, 
around  one  of  these  great  chalky  criffs,  we  saw  upon  our  left  a 
deep  ravine,  where  the  water  had  cut  its  way  far  down  into  the 
soft  limestone  rock,  making  a  high  waterfall,  and  a  deep,  wild- 
looking  gorge.  That  brook  was  Cherith,  and  that  wild,  se- 
questered place,  the  traditional  spot  where  Elijah  hid  himself 


A  WILD  MOUNTAIN  DEFILE  BETWEEN  JERUSALEM  AND  JERICHO 


THE   BROOK  CHERITH. 


221 


irom  tne  persecuting  Ahab,  and  where  the  ravens  brought  him 
bread  and  meat  in  the  morning,  and  bread  and  meat  in  the 
evening.  We  dismounted,  and  clambered  down  the  rocky  sides 
to  get  a  better  view  of  the  place,  and  to  listen  to  the  dashing 
w*ater  as  it  went  leaping  over  the  cataract,  and  sparkling  along 
its  bed  of  foam.  "  And  here,"  we  said,  "  the  faithful  prophet 
was  miraculously  sustained  while  the  dearth  was  in  the  land, 
until  the  brook  wTas  dried  up;"  and  while  we  were  thinking 
upon  the  strange  event,  just  at  that  very  moment,  as  if  to  add 
to  the  vividness  of  the  scripture  narrative,  a  large  black  raven 
set  up  a  croaking  almost  immediately  over  my  head.  I  looked 
up,  almost  expecting  to  see  him  with  a  supply  in  his  mouth,  on 
an  errand  of  mercy  for  the  old  prophet  of  the  Lord.  A  more 
secluded  glen,  or  appropriate  hiding  place,  could  scarcely  be 
imagined.  This  ravine  is  now  called  Wady  el  Kelt,  is  very 
narrow,  and  from  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  feet  deep. 
The  sides  are  almost  perpendicular,  and  the  noisy  streamlet 
that  goes  gliding  through  it  is  fringed  with  oleander  and 
other  shrubs.  The  steep,  rocky  acclivities  are  pierced  with 
numerous  grottoes,  in  former  ages  the  abodes  of  anchorites,  who 
sought  salvation  in  acts  of  austerity  about  all  these  localities 
that  had  been  marked  by  the  miracles  of  scripture.  The 
mouth  of  this  ravine,  where  it  opens  upon  the  valley  just  below 
us,  is  undoubtedly  the  valley  of  Achor,  where  Achan  was 
stoned. 

Occasionally  On  our  route  we  could  see  the  remains  of  the 
old  Roman  road  that  once  led  from  Jerusalem  to  the  rich 
plains  and  populous  city  of  the  Jordan.  How  different  now 
from  the  days  when  these  hills  were  adorned  with  the  olive  and 
the  vine — when  Herod,  Cleopatra,  and  other  kings  and  princes, 
were  accustomed  to  ride  here  in  courtly  pomp  and  splendor. 
The  hill  we  were  now  on  was  one  of  those  that  skirted  the 
plain  of  the  Jordan,  and  as  we  wound  around  it,  suddenly, 
from  our  high  elevation,  we  caught  a  view  of  the  country 
below,  and  the  waters  of  that  wonderful  sea  of  death  that  roll 
their  leaden  waves  over  the  ruined  and  sunken  cities  that  once 
existed  there.  By  a  long  and  winding  descent,  we  at  last 
reached  the  plain,  very  near  the  site  of  old  Jericho.    This,  to 


222 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


us,  was  a  place  of  great  interest,  and  it  was  with  no  ordinary 
feelings  of  awe  and  reverence  we  rode  over  the  ground  where 
stood  the  city  renowned  in  the  wonderful  conquests  of  Joshua. 
Though  we  returned  to  the  place  and  examined  it  more  leis- 
urely, we  shall,  for  the  sake  of  a  more  connected  narrative, 
give  the  whole  account  as  we  proceed. 

THE   THREE  JERICHOES. 

As  we  struck  the  plain  we  turned  to  the  left,  riding  a  little 
more  than  a  mile  along  the  base  of  the  hills,  when  we  were 
upon  the  supposed  site  of  ancient  Jericho,  or  the  Jericho  of  the 
Old  Testament — the  City  of  Palm  Trees.  N§ar  by  is  the  valley 
of  Achor,  where  the  terrible  execution  of  Achan  took  place. 
The  high  mountain  that  rises  up  in  the  rear  of  the  place  is 
called  Quarantania,  from  its  being  the  traditional  place  of  the 
forty  days'  fast  of  the  Savior.  Between  it  and  Jerusalem  is  the 
wilderness  of  Judea.  The  mountain  has  a  desolate  and  gloomy 
appearance.  Upon  its  top  may  be  seen  a  little,  solitary  look- 
ing chapel  of  the  monks,  while  along  up  its  chalky,  precipit- 
ous sides,  may  still  be  seen  numerous  caves  and  grottoes,  dug 
in  more  superstitious  times,  by  religious  devotees,  and  once  in- 
habited by  these  misguided  zealots.  I  noticed  several  of  these 
high  up  the  cliff  had  been  seized  upon  by  some  poor  Arab 
families,  and  converted  into  temporary  residences.  No  one 
looking  upon  the  scenery  here,  can  fail  to  appreciate  the  accu- 
rate description  of  Milton : 

"  It  was  a  mountain  at  whose  verdant  feet 
A  spacious  plain,  outstretched  in  circuit  wide, 
Lay  pleasant;  from  his  side  two  rivers  flowed, 
The  one  winding,  the  other  straight,  and  left  between 
Fair  champaign  with  less  rivers  intervened, 
Then  meeting  joined  their  tribute  to  the  sea; 
Fertile  of  corn  the  glebe,  of  oil,  and  wine ; 
"With  herds  the  pastures  thronged,  with  flocks  the  hills; 
Huge  cities  and  high-towered,  that  well  might  seem 
The  seats  of  mightiest  monarchs,  and  so  large 
The  prospect  was,  that  here  and  there  was  room 
For  barren  desert,  fountainless  and  dry. 
To  this  high  mountain,  too,  the  tempter  brought 
Our  Savior,  and  new  train  of  words  began." 


JERICHO   OF   JOSHUA.  223 

N~ear  by,  in  the  midst  of  luxuriant  and  tangled  foliage, 
bursting  from  the  base  of  a  high  mound,  is  a  copious  fountain 
of  water,  now  called  Fountain  of  the  Sultan.  The  water  is 
slightly  tepid  but  sweet.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  this  is  the 
fountain  whose  waters  were  healed  by  the  prophet  Elisha  (2 
Kings,  xix.  22);  therefore  we  are  certain  here  is  the  site  of  ancient 
Jericho — here  was  the  Jericho  of  Joshua  and  the  prophets. 
The  whole  plain  about  here  is  covered  with  mounds  of  ancient 
ruins,  heaps  of  rough  stones,  the  whole  intermingled  with 
fragments  of  pottery,  while  large  portions  are  overgrown  and 
almost  concealed  from  view  by  tall  weeds,  and  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  brushwood. 

We  drinked  from  the  waters  of  the  fountain,  recalling  the 
story  of  their  miraculous  cleansing  by  the  prophet  of  the 
Lord ;  then  climbed  the  high  mound  from  the  base  of  which 
they  spring,  and  sat  down  to  recall  the  former  history  of  the 
place,  and  reflect  upon  its  utter  overthrow.  Not  a  vestige  of 
that  old  city  now  remains ;  and  yet  what  wonderful  events 
have  here  transpired !  Here,  on  this  very  spot,  the  great  work 
of  the  conquest  and  subjugation  of  the  land  by  the  Israelites 
commenced.  We  could  look  across  the  plain  of  the  Jordan  to 
the  hills  of  Moab,  where  the  hosts  of  Israel  were  encamped. 
To  this  place  Joshua  sent  spies.  Here  they  were  received  and 
hid  by  Rahab,  until  they  could  be  sent  away  in  safety.  Here 
it  was  that  the  mysterious  circuit  of  the  city  was  made  by 
seven  priests,  bearing  seven  trumpets,  accompanied  by  the  ark 
of  God,  when,  on  the  seventh  day,  the  walls  were  overthrown. 
The  destruction  of  Jericho  was  complete ;  it  was  not  only  ut- 
terly overthrown,  but  a  curse  of  a  most  singular  kind  was  pro- 
nounced against  the  one  that  should  rebuild  it :  "  Cursed  be 
the  man  before  the  Lord,  that  riseth  up  and  buildeth  this  city 
Jericho ;  he  shall  lay  the  foundation  thereof  in  his  first  born, 
'       and  in  his  youngest  son  shall  he  set  up  the  gates  of  it." 

JERICHO  REBUILT. 

A  little  more  than  five  hundred  years  after  its  destruction, 
in  the  reign  of  the  wicked  king  Ahab,  Hiel  the  Bethelite, 
either  having  forgotten  the  curse,  or  impiously  defying  it,  com- 

$ 


224 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


menced  rebuilding  the  city.  The  graphic  description  given  us 
in  the  word  of  God  is:  "He  laid  the  foundation  thereof  in 
Abiram,  his  first  born,  and  set  up  the  gates  thereof  in  his 
youngest  son  Segub"  (1  Kings,  xvi.  34) ;  meaning,  as  we  are 
told,  that  the  death  of  his  children  commenced  with  the  com- 
mencement of  the  work,  and  its  completion  found  him  child- 
less. This  second  Jericho  became  quite  a  flourishing  city,  and 
many  of  the  interesting  events  of  the  days  of  the  prophets  are 
connected  with  it.  A  wild  mountain  pathway  led  from  this 
place  to  Bethel,  an  easy  day's  journey  distant.  It  was  along' 
this  pathway  that  Elisha  was  traveling,  just  after  he  had  wit- 
nessed the  strange  translation  of  Elijah,  when  the  ill-bred 
children  gathered  around  him,  and  in  mock  derision  of  what 
he  had  reported  of  his  master,  cried  out :  "  Go  up,  thou  bald 
head !  "  This  act  of  hatred  against  God  and  his  prophets  was 
severely  punished,  and  forty-two  of  these  children,  the  account 
informs  us,  were  torn  of  wild  beasts.  The  event  is  recorded  as 
an  admonition  to  those  parents  who  neglect  the  education  of 
their  children,  and  a  warning  to  the  young  against  disrespect  to 
the  aged,  and  disobedience  to  the  commands  of  God. 

THE   FIRST   LITERARY  INSTITUTION. 

Here  was  not  only  a  home  for  Elijah  and  Elisha,  but  here 
they  established  a  school  of  the  prophets,  and  to  this  place 
young  men  gathered  to  be  instructed  in  the  knowledge  of 
God.  In  connection  with  this  place  and  this  school,  we  have 
an  account,  I  believe,  of  the  building  of  the  first  theological  in- 
stitution on  record.  These  sons  of  the  prophets  said  to  Elisha : 
"  Behold  now  the  place  where  we  dwell  with  thee  is  too  strait 
for  us."  So  they  proposed  to  go  down  to  the  Jordan,  only  a 
short  distance,  and  cut  timber,  and  take  every  one  of  them  a 
beam,  and  build  a  house  to  dwell  in.  It  seems  they  were  con- 
tent with  a  more  humble  college  than  modern  taste  demands. 
They  did  not  send  to  Lebanon  for  beams  of  cedar,  or  to  the 
quarry  for  blocks  of  marble ;  willing  "to  labor  with  their  own 
hands,  they  went  with  their  president  to  the  Jordan,  to  cut  the 
timber  that  grew  upon  its  banks.  Like  most  theological 
students,  they  were  poor,  and  the  very  tools  they  used  upon  the 


BUILDING   A  COLLEGE. 


225 


occasion  appear  to  have  been  borrowed.  As  they  were  chop- 
ping, one  of  them  lost  the  head  of  his  ax  in  the  river.  Had 
it  been  his  own  he  would  not  so  much  have  cared.  Many 
people  are  very  careless  of  borrowed  things ;  not  so  with  this 
conscientious  student.  "Alas!  Master,  it  was  borrowed." 
Elijah  helped  him  out  of  the  difficulty  by  cutting  a  stick,  and 
by  some  strange,  miraculous  power,  making  the  iron  swim  upon 
the  surface  of  the  water.  How  I  wish  there  could  have  been 
some  photographic  views  of  this  scene  preserved — of  the  old 
bald-headed  president  and  his  industrious  pupils  sweating 
under  the  burden  of  their  labors,  as  they  added  log  after  log  to 
their  humble  structure.  How  I  wish  I  could  take  a  peep  into 
the  rooms  of  their  literary  associations,  and  see  their  libraries, 
and  the  emblems  of  their  Aleph  Baith  Gimel,  and  Samech 
Teth  Sheen  societies.  Alas  !  all  is  buried  in  the  oblivion  that 
has  crept  over  the  place  But  their  theology  was  better  than 
their  college,  while  many  a  modern  college  is  better  than  its 
theology. 

Of  the  subsequent  history  of  this  Jericho  of  the  prophets 
little  is  known.  On  the  site  of  these  instructive  events  the 
traveler  now  sees  nothing  but  mounds  of  earth,  mixed  with 
stones  and  bits  of  broken  pottery ;  the  wild  weeds,  the  thorn, 
and  the  brier  grow  in  rank  and  tangled  masses;  no  human 
form  is  seen;  no  human  voice  greets  the  ear;  nothing  is  heard 
but  the  song  of  the  wild  bird,  and  the  gush  of  the  running 
waters  from  the  Fountain  of  Elisha. 

*    THE   JERICHO   OF    THE. NEW  TESTAMENT. 

Jericho  was  again  rebuilt ;  when,  history  does  not  inform  us, 
but  not  upon  prescisely  the  same  site.  It  was  about  a  mile 
farther  to  the  south,  and  justvwhere  we  struck  the  plain  as  we 
came  down  the  steep  descent  of  the  hills,  and  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Kelt  or  Cherith.  One  of  the  first  things  we  saw  was 
the  ruins  of  an  old  aqueduct  that  was  used  to  carry  these 
waters  of  the  hill-side  fountains  over  the  plain.  The  numerous 
crumbling  arches  of  this  great  work  still  attest  its  former  mag- 
nificence. Here,  also,  are  the  remains  of  an  ancient  reservoir, 
four  hundred  and  ninety  feet  broad,  and  six  hundred  and  fifty- 


226 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


seven  feet  long,  now  filled  with  rubbish,  and  its  walls  nearly 
buried  from  sight.  The  city  that  could  boast  such  aqueducts 
and  reservoirs,  must  have  been  a  place  of  great  wealth  and 
population.  Here  was  the  Jericho  of  the  days  of  the  Savior 
and  of  Herod.  According  to  Josephus,  it  was  a  large  and  beau- 
tiful city.  The  country,  seventy  stadia  one  way  and  twenty 
another,  was  watered  by  the  abundant  fountains,  while  the 
plain  was  covered  with  extensive  and  luxuriant  palm  grove3 
and  gardens,  reaching  even  to  the  banks  of  the  Jordan.  These 
gardens  not  only  produced  common  fruits  in  abundance,  but 
opobalsam,  and  other  choice  productions. 

This  beautiful  city  and  its  environs  was  given  by  Mark  An- 
tony to  Cleopatra,  and  was  bought  from  her  by  Herod  the 
Great,  who  made  it  one  of  his  royal  cities.  He  enriched  and 
adorned  it,  and  added  many  costly  buildings.  Here,  too,  this 
luxurious  and  dissipated  prince  and  monster  of  iniquity,  in  the 
midst  of  his  excesses  and  voluptuous  refinements,  died.  To 
this  city  the  Savior  came;  here  he  healed  the  blind  man,  and 
here  he  visited  the  home  of  Zaccheus.  Of  this  beautiful  and 
magnificent  city  scarce  a  vestige  now  remains.  Those  beautiful 
gardens  have  all  disappeared ;  those  precious  balsam  trees  have 
perished,  not  a  representative  of  them  remains  in  all  the  land; 
even  those  transplanted  by  Cleopatra  to  the  gardens  of  Heliop- 
olis  in  Egypt,  have  become  extinct.  Of  those  beautiful  palm 
groves,  that  once  spread  for  miles  over  the  plain,  there  was  in 
1837  a  solitary  tree  remaining;  now  the  last  representative  of 
their  beauty  and  glory  has  entirely  disappeared. 

ENCAMPMENT   FOR   THE  NIGHT. 

Having  wandered  over  the  site  of  these  old  J erichoes,  we 
passed  on  in  an  easterly  direction  towards  the  Jordan,  near 
a  mile,  and  about  5  o'clock  pitched  our  tents  at  the  usiial 
camping  ground.  It  was  a  beautiful  green  spot,  in  the  midst 
of  a  grove  of  acacia,  just  upon  the  banks  of  the  brook  Cherith. 
A  few  rods  distant  from  us  was  Riha,  or  the  modern  Jericho, 
the  only  representative  left  of  either  the  place  or  the  name  of 
the  ancient  city.  It  is  a  miserable,  dirty  village  of  a  few  dozen 
houses,  peopled  by  a  ragged,  profligate  looking  set.    A  large 


ARAB    HORSEMANSHIP.  229 

brush  fence  of  the  dry  limbs  of  the  thorny  nubk  incloses  the 
town,  intended  as  a  wall  of  defense  against  the  raids  of  the 
Moabites.  These  villagers  are  represented  as  being  poor  and 
profligate,  still  retaining  some  of  the  great  vices  for  which 
Sodom  was  notorious  four  thousand  years  ago. 

There  were  over  twenty  in  our  own  company,  and  on  our 
way  here  two  other  companies,  one  of  American  and  one  of 
English  travelers,  joined  us;  so  that  when  we  pitched  our  tents 
for  the  night,  there  were  of  travelers,  escort  and  attendants, 
between  seventy  and  eighty  of  us.  In  addition  to  this,  we  had 
scarcely  erected  our  tents,  when  the  company  of  French  offi- 
cers from  Beirut,  before  spoken  of,  arrived,  nearly  one  hundred 
in  number,  and  bivouacked  upon  the  same  ground.  So  formi- 
dable did  this  render  our  encampment  in  point  of  numbers,  all 
fears  of  Bedawin  or  Moabites  were  completely  dissipated. 
Having  several  Arabic  and  Bedawin  dragomen  and  sheiks  in 
our  confederate  clans,  they  amused  us  with  their  exhibitions 
of  skill  in  tournament  and  tilting.  Their  feats  of  horseman- 
ship were  quite  exciting.  As  they  sometimes  came  driving  at 
each  other  at  full  speed,  with  their  long  lances  poised  in  the  air, 
they  presented  a  wild  and  almost  terrific  appearance.  But 
these  long  Bedawin  lances  are  more  formidable  in  appearance 
than  in  reality.  Their  great  length  renders  them  almost  en- 
tirely useless  in  a  close  encounter,  and  the  use  of  fire-arms  fully 
as  much  so  when  the  parties  are  at  a  distance.  Still,  the  Beda- 
win horseman  continues  to  carry  them,  perhaps  in  honor  of  his 
ancestors,  though  they  are  about  as  useless  a  weapon  as  he  can 
well  incumber  himself  with.  Indeed,  though  we  paid  a  heavy 
tax  for  our  armed  escort,  we  placed  but  little  reliance  upon  them 
for  protection.  A  sheik  with  one  of  these  long,  cumbrous 
lances  in  his  hand,  and  a  pair  of  old,  rusty  horse-pistols  in  his 
belt,  and  two  tawny  assistants,  each  with  an  old  flint-lock  mus- 
ket, was  all  the  guard  furnished  us.  Of  these  two  muskets  I 
noticed,  after  we  started,  that  one  the  locks  had  no  flint  in  it, 
and  very  likely  the  barrel  had  no  load,  and  so  little  reliance  did 
the  carrier  place  upon  it,  he  never  discovered  the  defect  till  we 
got  back  to  Jerusalem. 

We  kindled  a  fire,  boiled  some  coffee,  and  ate  our  cold  lunch. 


230 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Just  at  dusk  a  company  of  the  Arabs  came  out  to  entertain  us 
with  some  of  their  wild  songs  and  dances,  ending  with  an  earn- 
est importunity  for  a  backsheesh.  The  dogs  of  the  village^ 
and  the  fleas  of  our  tents,  gave  us  but  little  opportunity  for 
sleep,  while  the  thieving  villagers  were  prowling  around,  watch- 
ing a  chance  to  commit  some  depredation.  In  one  section  of 
our  camp  a  tent  was  entered,  and  nearly  all  their  provision 
stolen. 

THE    GILGAL   OF  JOSHUA. 

This  portion  of  the  "  Plain  of  the  Jordan "  is  truly  a  cele- 
brated place.  We  have  spoken  of  it  as  it  was  known  under 
Joshua — the  Prophets — the  Savior.  In  the  days  of  the  Crusa- 
ders it  was  also  a  noted  locality.  Under  them  the  sugar-cane 
was  extensively  cultivated  here,  and  the  place  seems  to  have 
regained  something  of  its  ancient  fertility  and  celebrity,  and 
was  considered  the  garden  of  Palestine.  Large  revenues,  it  is 
said,  were  drawn  from  here,  which  the  Latin  kings  gave  to  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  which  were  afterwards 
transferred  to  a  convent  at  Bethany.  These  revenues,  it  is 
said,  amounted  to  five  thousand  pounds  sterling  per  annum,  an 
immense  sum  for  those  days.  In  this  village,  close  by  us,  stands 
a  large  stone  tower,  thirty  feet  square  and  forty  feet  high,  com- 
manding an  extensive  view  of  the  plain.  This  tower  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  built  in  the  days  of  the  Crusaders,  for  the 
protection  of  the  fields  and  gardens  against  the  Bedawins. 

But  the  spot  where  we  have  encamped  had  other  associations 
connected  with  it  of  more  intense  interest  than  any  of  these. 
I  forgot  the  dangers  of  the  night,  barki»g  dogs  and  thieving 
Bedawin,  in  the  remembrance  that  the  very  spot  upon  which 
we  were  now  encamped  was  the  supposed  site  of  Gilgal,  the 
first  camping  place  of  Israel  after  crossing  the  Jordan,  and 
where  they  first  set  up  in  the  Holy  Land  the  Tabernacle  of 
&od.  If  so,  what  a  history  it  has,  and  by  how  many  striking 
events  it  has  been  consecrated  !  Here,  after  their  long,  weary 
march  through  the  wilderness,  they  stopped  to  rest  and  refresh 
themselves  before  they  commenced  the  conquest  of  the  land. 
Here,  the  rite  of  circumcision,  which  had  been  suspended  for 


EVENTS    AT    GILGAL.  231 

thirty-eight  years,  was  renewed,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the 
Lord  said:  "This  day  have  I  rolled  away  the  reproach  of 
Egypt  from  off  you."  Josh.  v.  9.  Here  it  was  the  feast  of  the 
passover  was  again  celebrated,  and  the  people,  on  the  day  after 
the  passover,  eat  the  old  corn  of  the  land,  and  the  manna  that 
had  been  their  bread  for  forty  years  ceased  to  fall.  By  these 
solemn  religious  rites  did  Joshua,  in  the  very  face  of  his  pow- 
erful enemy,  commence  his  great  campaign.  Here,  too,  was 
"holy  ground,"  for  here,  near  Jericho,  Joshua  stood  and  lifted 
up  his  eyes,  and  saw  a  Man  over  against  him  with  his  sword 
drawn  in  his  hand.  And  Joshua  went  unto  him,  and  said: 
"Art  thou  for  us,  or  for  our  adversaries?"  And  he  said: 
"Nay;  but  as  captain  of  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  am  I  now 
come.  Loose  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  where- 
on thou  standest  is  holy."  And  here  Joshua  fell  on  his  face  to 
the  earth  and  worshiped.  From  here  it  was  that  strange  ex- 
pedition was  fitted  out  before  which  the  strong  walls  of  yonder 
Jericho  were  laid  even  with  the  ground.  Here,  in  later  times, 
Samuel  came  to  judge  Israel;  here  he  offered  sacrifices,  and 
here  he  brought  Saul  to  confirm  him  in  the  kingdom.  Here, 
too,  for  his  rash  act  of  unbidden  sacrifice,  that  kingdom  was 
taken  from  Saul  and  his  posterity.  When  David  in  the  rebel- 
lion of  Absalom  had  fled  beyond  Jordan,  it  was  at  this  place 
the  tribe  of  Judah  assembled  to  welcome  him  back;  here  the 
prophets  were  accustomed  to  come,  and  here  some  of  their 
miracles  were  performed,  as  the  healing  of  the  poisoned  pot- 
tage, the  cure  of  the  leprous  Syrian,  and  the  punishment  of 
Grehazzi.  Truly,  we  have  pitched  our  tent  on  historic  ground, 
and  strange  things  have  here  transpired ! 

VISIT    TO   THE  JORDAN. 

April  2d.    We  rose  early,  impatient  to  be  on  our  way  to  the 

Jordan.    Our  simple  breakfast  of  brown  bread,  cold  meat  and 

eggs,  was  soon  over,  and  by  a  little  after  7  o'clock  we  were  on 

our  way  to  the  waters  of  the  sacred  stream  fraught  with  so 

many  scriptural  associations.    Our  tents  were  to  be  left  behind, 

and  we  were  to  return  to  them  to  spend  the  night,  so  two  or 

three  of  our  servants  remained  to  take  charge  of  them.  The 
14 


232  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

company  of  French  officers  had  started  a  little  before  us,  and 
following  in  the  wake  of  so  strong  a  military  band,  we  felt 
quite  sure  our  path  would  be  cleared  of  all  prowling  bands  of 
Moabites.  The  valley  of  the  Jordan  is  a  deep  depression, 
reaching  from  the  base  of  Hermon  on  the  north,  to  the  Gulf 
of  Akaba  on  the  south.  A  large  portion  of  this  valley  lies  far 
below  the  level  of  the  sea.  Here  the  Jordan  finds  a  winding 
pathway  through  a  beautiful  and  fertile  plain,  till  its  waters  are 
swallowed  up  and  lost  in  the  mysterious  sea  of  death.  This 
valley  of  the  Jordan  is  narrowest  just  below  the  sea  of  Gali- 
lee, and  is  there  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean;  it  expands  to  its  widest  dimensions  in  this 
vicinity  of  Jericho,  and  is  here  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  broad, 
and  where  it  touches  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea  thirteen  hun- 
dred and  twelve  feet  below  the  Mediterranean.  Thus  the 
waters  of  the  Jordan,  in  passing  from  the  sea  of  Galilee  to  the 
Dead  Sea,  a  distance  of  about  sixty  miles,  make  a  descent  of 
between  six  hundred  and  seven  hundred  feet.  It  is  said  the 
only  known  instance  of  a  greater  fall  than  this  is  in  the  waters 
of  the  Sacramento,  in  California.  The  rapidity  the  current 
would  acquire  in  making  this  rapid  descent  is  checked  by  the 
tortuous  course  of  the  waters;  for  in  passing  this  distance  the 
river  actually  runs  near  two  hundred  miles. 

The  western  range  of  hills  lying  along  this  portion  of  the 
valley  rises  up  quite  abruptly  to  the  hight  of  about  fifteen  hun- 
dred feet;  the  mountains  of  Moab  upon  the  east,  at  first  are  not 
so  abrupt  or  high,  but  they  continue  to  rise,  peak  over  peak,  as 
they  recede  from  the  valley,  until  they  culminate  in  the  tower- 
ing bights  of  Eebo  and  Abarim,  from  two  thousand  to  twenty- 
five  hundred  feet  above  the  plain.  These  high  lands  upon  both 
sides  stretch  away  to  the  northward,  hedging  in  with  their 
mountain  barriers  the  beautiful  plain.  Between  these  gigantic 
walls  and  the  lower  terraces  that  form  the  bed  of  the  Jordan, 
the  river  is  described  as  rushing  on  its  way  through  endless 
sinuosities  and  contortions,  leaping  down  frequent  and  most 
fearful  rapids,  and  dashing  from  side  to  side  of  the  narrow  bed 
in  which  it  is  imprisoned,  as  if  struggling  to  burst  the  barriers 


PLAIN   OF   THE    JO  KD  AN. 


233 


by  which  it  is  confined,  and  save  its  sacred  waters  from  being 
lost  in  the  sea  of  death  below. 

The  distance  from  our  encampment  to  the  river  in  a  direct 
line  was  probably  not  over  three  miles,  but  our  course  being  in 
a  southeasterly  direction,  we  rode  between  four  and  five  miles. 
We  descended  two  terraces  before  reaching  the  immediate 
bank  of  the  river.  These  were  plainly  marked,  and  the  descent 
from  one  to  the  other  was  quite  abrupt  and  several  feet  high. 

The  river  lying  quite  low,  and  being  fringed  with  thick  foli- 
age, cannot  be  seen  till  you  are  close  upon  it.  On  we  rode, 
eagerly  watching  for  the  first  glimpse  of  its  waters.  We  had 
looked  down  into  the  valley  from  the  hights  of  Olivet,  from  the 
"House  of  Abraham"  at  Hebron,  and  from  the  look-out  at 
Mizpeh,  and  seen  the  winding  line  of  its  blue  range  from  a  dis- 
tance; but  we  were  anxious  to  stand  upon  its  shore,  go  down 
into  the  stream,  and  mingle  our  meditatons  with  the  music  of 
its  waters.  As  we  emerged  from  a  thicket  of  oleanders  and 
willows,  "  There  it  is ! "  burst  from  several  of  our  party ;  and 
there,  sure  enough,  it  was,  and  close  by  its  rushing  current  we 
stood. 

A   BATH   IN   THE  JORDAN. 

More  than  three  thousand  years  ago  it  was  said  "Jordan 
overfloweth  his  banks  all  the  time  of  harvest."  Already  the 
fields  had  commenced  whitening  for  the  sickle,  and  the  stream 
was  rapidly  increasing  from  the  falling  rains  and  melting  snows 
of  the  far  distant  mountains,  of  Hermon.  This  freshet  gives 
the  waters  a  white,  turbid  appearance,  and  they  were  running 
quite  swiftly.  The  size  of  the  Jordan,  of  course,  varies  much 
at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  and  like  other  rivers,  the  width 
and  depth  are  quite  different  in  different  places,  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  ground.  It  had  now  risen  so  as  to  nearly  cover 
the  pebbly  shore,  and  touch  in  some  places  the  white,  clayey 
bank  that  constituted  the  lower  terrace  of  the  plain.  At  the 
point  where  we  visited  it,  the  waters  were  now  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  broad,  the  depth  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream  probably  ten  or  twelve  feet. 

According  to  the  usual  custom  of  visitors,  we  commenced 


234 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


arrangements  for  a  bath  when  our  sheik  interposed,  declaring 
the  current  was  too  swift,  and  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to 
enter  the  stream ;  that  a  man  had  been  drowned  in  this  very 
place  only  a  few  days  before.  But  we  had  not  come  so  far  to 
be  thwarted  in  our  plans  by  trifles.  Being  a  good  swimmer,  I 
measured  the  strength  of  the  current  with  my  eye,  and  willing 
to  risk  it,  plunged  in,  and  my  companions,  one  after  another, 
followed.  We  found  the  current  quite  strong,  so  that  we  could 
not  venture  in  to  a  great  depth,  but  far  enough  to  accomplish 
our  purpose  of  a  plunge  bath ;  some  dipping  themselves  once, 
some  in  imitation  of  the  leprous  Syrian,  seven  times !  Our  bath 
over,  we  filled  our  tin  bottles,  which  we  had  bought  of  the 
monks  at  the  convent  for  the  purpose,  with  the  water  to  be 
borne  to  our  far  distant  homes.  And  now  shall  we  go  ?  Not 
yet.  Wait  till  we  can  recall  some  of  the  events  that  have  made 
this  spot  so  memorable  in  the  world's  history.  Several  scenes 
have  here  transpired,  any  one  of  which  would  have  given  a 
world's  immortality  to  the  spot  that  witnessed  it.  Come  and 
sit  down  under  the  shade  of  this  willow,  and  let  us  review 
some  of  these  famous  events.  First, 

ISRAEL'S   ENTRANCE    TO   THE   PROMISED  LAND. 

This  is  "  The  Ford  of  the  Jordan."  Look  toward  the  rising 
sun  and  see  that  long  mountain  wall,  towering  peak  beyond 
peak;  then  look  behind  you  and  see  the  ramparts  of  hills 
through  the  narrow  defiles  of  which  we  reached  this  place 
from  Jerusalem.  Here  is  one  of  the  few  passes  among  these 
long  lines  of  hills  by  which  communication  is  kept  up,  and  has 
been  for  thousands  of  years,  between  the  eastern  and  western 
portions  of  the  country.  From  their  camping  place  on  yonder 
bights  of  Moab,  the  multitudes  of  Israel  came  down  in  tri- 
umphal march  toward  this  beautiful  plain.  On  that  plain  over 
which  our  eye  can  now  look,  Joshua  marshaled  his  host  in 
obedience  to  the  command  of  his  Divine  leader.  When  God 
leads  the  commander  he  can  safely  lead  his  people.  With  the 
sacred  ark,  the  symbol  of  Jehovah's  presence  borne  in  front, 
onward  the  triumphal  procession  moved.  Less  than  four  hun- 
dred years  before,  seventy  souls,  to  whose  posterity  the  Lord 


Ruins  of  Jericho. 


The  River  Jordan. 


THE    FORD   OF    THE  JORDAN. 


237 


had  promised  this  land,  had  gone  down  into  Egypt.  We  have 
seen  them  there;  looked  upon  their  afflictions,  rehearsed  the 
story  of  their  bondage  and  deliverance;  followed  their  track 
through  the  wilderness,  and  now  here  we  meet  them  again, 
numbered  by  millions,  led  and  defended  by  an  army  of  six 
hundred  thousand  trained  warriors,  ready  to  claim  the  inherit- 
ance that  God  had  given  by  oath  to  their  father  Abraham. 

The  place  was  "  right  against  Jericho,"  the  time  the  latter 
part  of  April,  and  the  Jordan  was  at  its  flood;  how  was  the 
river  to  be  passed?  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Joshua,  this  day 
will  I  begin  to  magnify  thee  in  the  sight  of  all  Israel,  that  they 
may  know  that  as  I  was  with  Moses,  so  I  will  be  with  thee. 
And  thou  shalt  command  the  priests  that  bear  the  ark  of  the 
covenant,  saying,  when  ye  come  to  the  brink  of  the  water  of 
the  Jordan,  ye  shall  stand  still  in  Jordan."  Josh.  iii.  And 
what  was  the  result  ?  Onward  moved  the  sacred  ark ;  behind 
it  came  tbe  many  thousands  of  Israel.  The  priests  dipped 
their  feet  in  the  turbid  stream — the  waters  acknowledged  the 
presence  of  their  God.  Those  "which  came  down  from  above 
stood  and  rose  up  upon  a  heap;  and  those  that  came  down  to- 
wards the  sea  of  the  plain,  even  the  salt  sea,  failed  and  were 
cut  off ;  and  the  people  passed  over  right  against  Jericho"  They 
were  moving  in  obedience  to  the  commands  of  God,  all  dangers 
vanished,  and  all  difficulties  were  overcome.  In  the  path  of 
duty  we  need  have  no  fears,  sink  under  no  discouragements ; 
God  can  divide  waters  and  cleave  mountains  asunder ! 

ELIJAH   AND   ELISHA   AT   THE  JORDAN. 

The  dividing  of  these  waters  before  the  Ark  of  God  is  not 
the  only  time  they  have  felt  the  direct  influence  of  Divine  pow- 
er. We  have  already  looked  in  upon  the  school  of  the  proph- 
ets at  Jericho,  and  seen  them  coming  down  to  Jordan  to  cut 
timber  for  their  college;  but  there  was  another  visit  of  these 
two  old  prophets  to  this  vicinity  worthy  of  special  notice. 
Elijah's  history  had  been  a  strange  and  remarkable  one,  and 
now  it  was  to  have  a  still  more  remarkable  termination.  He 
evidently  had  a  presentiment  that  his  earthly  mission  was  fin- 
ished, and  he  seemed  desirous  to  withdraw  himself  from  all 


238 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


associates.  The  young  men  of  his  school  noticed  something 
unusual  in  his  manner.  He  was  at  Gilgal,  the  very  spot  where 
our  tents  are  now  standing.  Elisha  looked  up  to  him  as  a  son 
to  a  father,  and  seemed  resolved  not  to  be  separated  from  him. 
"The  Lord  hath  sent  me  to  Bethel,"  said  Elijah,  "tarry  thou 
here."  But  Elisha  would  not  stay,  and  they  went  to  Bethel. 
"  Tarry  thou  here,"  said  Elijah,  "for  the  Lord  hath  sent  me  to 
Jericho."  Elisha  would  not  be  left  behind,  and  back  to  Jericho 
they  came,  "Tarry  thou  here,"  said  Elijah,  "for  the  Lord  hath 
sent  me  to  Jordan."  And  Elisha  said:  "As  the  Lord  liveth, 
and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee."  And  the  two 
came  hither  to  Jordan.  And  the  old  servant  of  God  took  his 
mantle  and  smote  these  waters,  and  they  were  divided  hither 
and  thither,  and  they  two  passed  over.  Elijah  was  born  into 
this  world  on  that  side  of  Jordan,  from  that  side  he  was  now 
to  be  transported  to  a  better.  They  walked  on  across  the 
plain ;  Nebo,  where  Moses  died,  was  full  in  sight.  On  they 
went,  still  talking  together,  and  behold,  "there  appeared  a 
chariot  of  fire,  and  horses  of  fire,  and  parted  them  both  asun- 
der, and  Elijah  went  up  by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven  /"  Elisha  had 
followed  him  to  Bethel,  to  Jericho,  to  Jordan,  but  he  could  fol- 
low him  no  further.  He  cried  out  and  rent  his  clothes  at  the 
bereavement,  and  with  the  mantle  of  his  master  and  a  double 
portion  of  his  spirit — what  an  inheritance ! — retraced  his  steps. 
Musing  on  these  strange  events  he  comes  again  to  the  Jordan. 
By  the  faith  of  Elijah  a  highway  had  been  opened  for  him  to 
go  out,  but  how  was  he  to  return  ?  With  the  mantle  of  his 
master  again  he  smote  the  flood,  and  the  waters  were  again 
divided,  and  he  returned  with  the  strange  news  to  Jericho. 
But  a  greater  than  Elijah  has  been  here;  this  was  the  place  of 

THE   BAPTISM   OF  JESUS. 

Behind  us,  among  those  rugged  hills,  is  the  wilderness  of 
Judea,  where  John  came  preaching ;  here,  roll  the  waters  to 
which  the  people  came  to  be  baptized.  Then  came  Jesus  from 
Galilee  to  Jordan  unto  John  to  be  baptized  of  him.  What  a 
strange  event  was  that  among  the  wonders  that  have  here 
transpired,  when  the  Son  of  God  came  up  out  of  these  waters ! 


BAPTISM   OF  PILGRIMS. 


239 


In  that  countenance,  radiant  with  light  and  life,  was  seen  the 
kindling  glory  of  God;  there  hovered  the  emblematic  dove,  the 
token  of  the  spirit  that  rested  upon  him,  while  a  voice  from  the 
skies  broke  the  awful  stillness  that  had  hushed  in  silence  the 
wondering  multitude :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  ye  him?' 
What  event  could  have  given  the  place  a  more  holy  consecra- 
tion? What  thrilling  associations  stir  the  heart  of  the  Chris- 
tian as  he  looks  upon  this  place! 

In  commemoration  of  the  baptism  of  the  Savior,  a  singular 
celebration  annually  takes  place  among  eastern  Christians  at 
these  waters — at  the  time  of  the  Greek  Easter,  multitudes  of 
pilgrims  gather  here  to  bathe  in  the  waters.  We  were  too  early 
in  the  season  to  witness  this  strange  celebration,  but  several 
travelers  have  given  us  minute  descriptions  of  the  scene.  On 
Monday  of  passion  week,  the  throng  of  pilgrims,  numbered' 
by  thousands,  march  down  in  procession  from  Jerusalem,  under 
the  protection  of  a  company  of  Turkish  soldiers,  and  encamp 
or  bivouac  upon  the  plain  near  Jericho.  Early  the  following 
morning,  while  it  is  yet  dark,  equipped  with  torches,  and  most 
of  them  arrayed  in  white  robes  prepared  for  the  occasion,  they 
commence  a  tumultuous  march  for  the  Jordan.  Lieutenant 
Lynch,  of  the  United  States  exploring  expedition,  was  en- 
camped here  in  the  spring  of  1847,  and  gives  us  a  graphic  de- 
scription of  the  scene  as  he  then  witnessed  it.  As  early  as 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  saw  thousands  of  torches 
gleaming  through  the  darkness,  and  moving  toward  them. 
Men,  women  and  children,  mounted  on  camels,  donkeys,  mules, 
and  horses,  rushing  impetuously  toward  the  bank,  presenting 
the  appearance  of  fugitives  from  a  routed  army.  At  five 
o'clock,  just  at  the  dawn  of  day,  the  last  part  of  the  proces- 
sion was  seen  coming  over  the  crest  of  a  high  ridge,  in  one 
tumultuous  and  eager  throng. 

"In  all  the  wild  haste  of  a  disorderly  rout,  Copts  and  Rus« 
sians,  Poles,  Armenians,  Greeks  and  Syrians,  from  all  parts  of 
Asia,  from  Europe,  from  Africa  and  from  far-distant  America, 
on  they  came ;  men,  women  and  children,  of  every  age  and  hue, 
and  in  every  variety  of  costume ;  talking,  screaming,  shouting, 
in  almost  every  known  language  under  the  sun.    Mounted  as 


240 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


variously  as  those  who  had  preceded  them,  many  of  the 
women  and  children  were  suspended  in  baskets  or  confined  in 
cages ;  a'nd,  with  their  eyes  strained  toward  the  river,  heedless 
of  all  intervening  obstacles,  they  hurried  eagerly  forward,  and 
dismounting  in  haste,  and  disrobing  with  precipitation,  rushed 
down  the  bank  and  threw  themselves  into  the  stream. 

"  They  seemed  to  be  absorbed  by  one  impulsive  feeling,  and 
perfectly  regardless  of  the  observations  of  others.  Each  one 
plunged  himself,  or  was  dipped  by  another,  three  times,  below 
the  surface,  in  honor  of  the  Trinity ;  and  then  filled  a  bottle, 
or  some  other  utensil,  from  the  river.  The  bathing-dress  of 
many  of  the  pilgrims  was  a  white  gown  with  a  black  cross 
upon  it.  Most  of  them,  as  soon  as  they  were  dressed,  cut 
branches  of  the  agnus  castus,  or  willow;  and,  dipping  them  in 
the  consecrated  stream,  bore  them  away  as  memorials  of  their 
visit. 

"In  an  hour,  they  began  to  disappear;  and  in  less  than  three 
hours  the  trodden  surface  of  the  lately  crowded  bank  reflected 
no  human  shadow.  The  pageant  disappeared  as  rapidly  as  it 
had  approached,  and  left  us  once  more  the  silence  and  the  soli- 
tude of  the  wilderness.  It  was  like  a  dream.  An  immense 
crowd  of  human  beings,  said  to  be  eight  thousand,  but  I 
thought  not  so  many,  had  passed  and  repassed  before  our  tents 
and  left  not  a  vestige  behind  them." 

Such  are  some  of  the  events  that  have  transpired  in  this  im- 
mediate vicinity.  What  a  history  this  part  of  Jordan  and  its 
plain  has !  But  alas,  how  changed  from  the  days  of  the 
prophets  and  the  Savior,  when  populous  cities,  groves  of  palm, 
and  beautiful  gardens  abounded  here,  and  the  valley  was  filled 
with  industry  and  beauty  !  All  has  become  a  wilderness,  and 
solitude  and  desolation  hold  undisputed  reign.  The  curious 
traveler  comes  and  goes,  and  the  lawless  Bedawin  seeks  his 
plunder  undisturbed,  but  Jordan  has  a  name  prominent  among 
the  rivers  of  the  earth,  and  the  events  that  have  immortalized 
it  will  never  fade  from  the  page  of  history.  When  will  the 
desolating  curse  that  now  rests  upon  it  be  removed,  and  the 
voice  of  civilization,  and  the  hum  of  industry  again  be  heard 
along  its  banks?    Here  is  room  and  means  of  support  for  a 


THE    DEAD  SEA. 


241 


numerous  population.  "This  river,"  says  Thompson,  "winds 
incessantly,  falls  every  where  rapidly,  and  has  about  thirty  dis- 
tinct cascades.  Here  is  unappropriated  water  power  to  drive 
any  amount  of  machinery,  and  elevation  sufficient  to  allow 
every  part  of  this  valley  to  be  irrigated  at  all  times  of  the 
year.  Thus  treated,  and  subjected  to  the  science  and  the 
modern  mechanical  appliances  of  agriculture,  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan  could  sustain  half  a  million  of  inhabitants." 

RIDE    TO   THE    D  E  A  D  SEA. 

Again  we  were  upon  our  horses,  under  a  full  gallop  across 
the  plain  toward  the  Dead  Sea.  As  the  Jordan  approaches  the 
sea,  the  river  widens  and  the  banks  are  low  and  marshy.  A 
short  distance  from  the  sea,  Lynch  found  it  forty  yards  wide 
and  twelve  feet  deep ;  then  fifty  yards  wide  and  eleven  feet 
deep ;  then  eighty  yards  wide  and  seven  feet  deep,  and  finally, 
one  hundred  yards  wide  and  three  feet  deep  upon  the  bar. 
"  Thus,"  says  one,  "  this  sweet  type  of  life  subsides  into  the  Sea 
of  Death."  The  marshy  nature  of  the  ground  would  not  allow 
us  to  follow  the  course  of  the  river,  so  we  struck  off  in  a  south- 
westerly direction. 

This  sea  has  ever  been  considered  a  wonderful  and  mysteri- 
ous place.  As  a  natural  phenomenon  it  has  no  equal  upon  the 
face  of  the  globe,  while  in  the  moral  associations  connected 
with  it,  it  is  a  miracle  full  of  profound  and  awful  significancy. 
As  we  rode  on,  the  fertility  of  the  plain  gradually  diminished, 
and  at  last  almost  every  appearance  of  vegetable  life  disap- 
peared. The  whole  scenery  of  the  place  wore  a  strange, 
solemrl  and  impressive  aspect.  As  the  visitor  approaches  the 
place,  if  all  knowledge  of  his  locality  and  its  previous  history 
could  be  obliterated,  he  would  still  instinctively  feel  that  he 
was  in  close  proximity  to  the  theatre  of  some  appalling  or  por- 
tentous event.  All  around  him  is  a  sterile  desert  of  sand,  and 
beneath  his  feet  the  salty  incrustations  crackle  and  break  at 
every  step.  No  signs  of  human  habitation — no  sound  of  human 
voice — no  song  of  bird — no  footfall  of  beast — no  hum  of 
insect — a  silence,  profound  and  awful  as  the  chamber  of  death, 
is  there !    On  one  side  rise  up  the  lofty  mountains  of  Muab, 


242 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


with  all  their  dread  associations  of  robbery  and  blood;  on  the 
other,  the  rugged  bluffs  of  Engedi,  presenting  to  the  eye  no 
sign  of  vegetation,  their  jagged  peaks  and  yawning  caverns 
all  conspiring  to  deepen  the  solemnity  and  awfulness  of  the 
scene.  The  traveler  in  this  strange  place,  looks  about  him  with 
something  of  the  nervous  hesitation  and  trembling  the  timid 
boy  in  the  evening  would  look  into  a  tomb.  Such  is  the  ap- 
proach to  these  mysterious  waters  of  death. 

THE    SEA   AND   ITS  PECULIARITIES. 

This  sea,  as  we  have  before  said,  lies  in  a  deep  basin,  one 
thousand  three  hundred  and  twelve  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
Mediterranean ;  the  most  depressed  sheet  of  water  known. 
Here  it  lies  in  this  deep  caldron,  surrounded  by  tall,  ragged 
cliffs,  its  bosom  exposed  to  the  burning  rays  of  a  cloudless  sun, 
encompassed  by  sterility  and  deathlike  solitude.  It  is  known 
in  the  books  by  different  names,  Dead  Sea — Lake  Asphaltites — 
Salt  Sea — Sea  of  Sodom — Sea  of  the  Plain — Eastern  Sea,  and 
is  sometimes  called  by  the  Arabs  Lot's  Lake,  but  by  whatever 
name  known,  it  is  the  same  stern,  solemn  emblem  of  death. 
The  first  account  we  have  of  this  portion  of  the  country,  is  in 
the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Genesis,  in  connection  with  the  con- 
troversy that  arose  between  the  herdsmen  of  Lot  and  Abra- 
ham, about  1900  B.  C.  They  were  feeding  their  flocks  about  the 
rich  pasture  grounds  of  Bethel,  when  dissensions  arose  among 
them.  A  separation  became  necessary,  and  the  magnanimous 
Abraham  gave  his  nephew  the  first  choice  :  "  And  Lot  lifted  up 
his  eyes,  and  beheld  all  the  plain  of  the  Jordan,  that  it  was 
well  watered  every  where,  before  the  Lord  destroyed  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  like  the  land 
of  Egypt  as  thou  comest  unto  Zoar."  In  the  cities  of  the  plain, 
where  now  these  dark  waters  roll,  Lot  chose  his  inheritance, 
and  found  rich  pasturage  for  his  flocks. 

Then  follows  the  account  of  a  battle — the  first  battle  the 
pages  of  history  record.  Five  kings  of  this  plain  of  Sodom 
had  for  twelve  years  paid  tribute  to  a  distant  and  powerful 
prince.  Tired  of  this  tribute,  they  rebelled.  Then  came 
Chedorlaomer,  king  of  Elam ;  Amraphel,  king  of  Shinar ; 


THE    DEAD  SEA. 


243 


Arioch,  king  of  Ellasar,  and  Tidal,  king  of  nations,  to  reduce 
these  rebellious  provinces  to  submission.  The  kings  of  Sodom, 
Gomorrah,  Admah,  Zeboim  and  Zoar,  went  out  to  meet  them — 
four  kings  against  five.  The  ground  chosen  for  this  battle  was 
the  vale  of  Si&dim,  full  of  slime  pits.  This  accidental  mention 
of  these  slime  pits,  or  bituminous  springs,  gives  us  some 
knowledge  of  the  character  of  the  country  and  of  the  agencies 
already  existing  here  that  afterwards  became  instrumentalities 
in  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  for  its  fearful  overthrow.  The 
fortunes  of  the  battle  we  need  not  follow — the  five  kings  were 
defeated ;  Lot,  his  family  and  flocks,  carried  away  captive  by 
the  conquering  kings,  and  subsequently  delivered  by  Abraham. 
"We  have  made  this  allusion  to  the  early  history  of  the  plain  to 
show  what  it  once  was,  and  that  this  sea  was  a  subsequent 
creation. 

WHEN   AND   HOW   IT   WAS  FORMED. 

The  impressive  and  graphic  description  of  this  is  likewise 
given  by  the  sacred  historian,  and  is  so  familiar,  it  need  not  be 
repeated  here.  The  depths  of  depravity  into  which  the  cities 
of  the  plain  had  fallen,  provoked  the  displeasure,  and  drew 
down  the  terrible  judgments  of  the  Almighty.  We  have  stood 
upon  the  plain  of  Marnre,  where  the  angels  talked  with  Abra- 
ham, and  God  revealed  his  fearful  purpose  of  destruction. 
We  have  seen  how  terribly  those  purposes  were  executed : 
"  And  the  Lord  rained  upon  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  brimstone 
and  fire  from  the  Lord  out  of  Heaven.  And  he  overthrew 
those  cities,  and  all  the  plain,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
cities,  and  that  which  grew  upon  the  ground"  What  language 
could  be  more  accurate  ?  Look  upon  this  parched  and  verdure- 
less  plain  of  sand,  those  bleak  and  naked  hills !  "  And  Abra- 
ham gat  up  early  in  the  morning  to  the  place  where  he  stood 
before  the  Lord.  And  he  looked  toward  Sodom  and  Gomor- 
rah, and  toward  all  the  land  of  the  plain,  and  lo !  the  smoke 
of  the  country  went  up  as  the  smoke  of  a  furnace."    Gen.  xix. 

It  is  but  a  few  years  since  we  had  any  accurate  information 
of  this  remarkable  body  of  water.  Our  knowledge  of  it  was 
derived  mostly  from  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  people  who 


244 


THE    HOLT  LAND. 


inhabited  the  country  about  it.  Having  some  traditions  ot 
the  terrible  convulsions  that  had  taken  place  here,  and  of  the 
fearful  doom  that  had  been  visited  upon  the  cities  that  once 
occupied  its  site,  their  imaginations  had  invested  it  with  char- 
acteristics awful  and  supernatural.  In  addition  to  the  fact  that 
its  waters  would  not  sustain  animal  life,  it  was  said  they  were 
so  dense  the  winds  would  not  move  them,  that  they  were 
thick  and  clammy,  and  corroded  and  blistered  the  skin  where- 
ever  they  touched  it — that  no  boat  could  navigate  the  sea ;  that  a 
poisonous  exhalation  continually  arose  from  it,  so  that  no  bird 
could  fly  over  it  without  being  suffocated,  and  many  other 
marvelous  and  fantastic  things.  The  mystery  of  some  of 
these  strange  stories  had  been  increased  from  the  fact  that  two 
travelers,  Costigan,  a  young  Irishman,  and  afterwards  Moly- 
neaux,  an  Englishman,  had  both  perished  in  their  attempts  to 
explore  these  waters. 

The  first  successful  attempt  at  a  thorough  exploration  of  this 
remarkable  sea,  was  made  by  an  expedition  sent  out  by  the 
United  States  government  in  1848,  under  the  charge  of  Lieu- 
tenant Lynch.  April  8th,  with  a  crew  of  ten  men — all  native 
born  Americans,  and  all  pledged  to  total  abstinence  from  in- 
toxicating liquors,  he  launched  two  boats  of  copper,  and  one 
of  galvanized  iron,  which  they  had  conveyed  across  the  country 
from  the  Mediterranean,  upon  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  proceeded 
down  the  Jordan,  making  a  thorough  exploration  of  all  its 
cataracts  and  windings.  They  then  traversed  these  waters  in 
every  direction,  taking  soundings,  mapping  the  whole  sea  shore 
and  surrounding  mountains.  He  entered  the  Jordan  from  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  April  10th,  reached  the  Dead  Sea  April  19th, 
and  spent  twenty-one  nights  on  its  shores. 

As  a  result  of  these  explorations,  it  was  ascertained  that  the 
sea  is  forty-two  miles  long,  and  in  the  widest  place,  about  nine 
miles  broad.  About  two-thirds  of  the  distance  from  the  head 
of  the  lake  is  a  broad  low  promontory,  with  a  long  cape  or 
peninsula,  called  by  the  Arabs  "the  tongue,"  cutting  the  sea 
nearly  in  two.  Above  this  the  waters  are  very  deep,  in  one 
place  1,300  feet ;  below  this  they  are  quite  shallow.  ]STo  animal 
life  is  found  in  its  waters,  but  Lynch  frequently  met  with  ani- 


VISIT   TO   THE    DEAD    SEA.  245 

mals  about  the  shore,  generally  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fresh 
water  streams  that  empty  into  it,  among  which  are  mentioned 
doves,  hawks,  partridges  and  hares;  and  what  is  singular, 
the  birds,  insects  and  other  animals,  are  all  of  a  light  stone 
color,  the  same  as  the  materials  of  the  shore  and  mountains. 
I  noticed  this  'same  thing  in  the  Sinai  desert  among  the  few 
birds  and  insects  1  saw  there.  Ducks  are  occasionally  seen 
swimming  upon  the  water.  No  poisonous  exhalations  arise 
from  it,  but  bits  of  sulphur  are  sometimes  met  with  upon  the 
shore,  and  sulphurous  exhalations  in  some  places  arise  from 
the  ground.  At  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  valleys  on  the  west 
side  are  the  celebrated  warm  springs,  to  which  Herod  the  great 
went,  in  the  vain  hope  of  being  cured  of  his  loathsome  disease. 
Here,  between  lofty  perpendicular  cliffs  of  red  sandstone,  a 
copious  stream  of  warm,  sweet  water  flows  into  the  lake. 
Where  the  fresh  water  streams  flow  in  from  the  mountains,  the 
willow,  tamarisk,  oleander,  and  various  shrubs  are  found,  and 
the  song  of  birds  may  be  heard,  but  over  all  the  rest  of  the 
banks  and  the  shores,  sterility  and  death-like  solitude  abound. 
The  scenery  is  magnificently  wild,  stern  and  impressive.  At 
the  southeastern  portion  of  the  sea,  the  original  name  Sodom, 
seems  to  be  retained,  applied  to  a  portion  of  the  country  and 
the  salt  mountains — Oosdom,  sometimes  written  Usdom.  Here 
there  is  an  immense  ridge  of  salt,  five  miles  long,  and  from  one 
hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  In  connection 
with  these  saline  hills,  is  found 

THE   CELEBRATED    PILLAR    OP  SALT, 

With  which  the  story  of  the  strange  fate  of  Lot's  wife  has 
been  connected.  Josephus  tells  us  that  the  pillar  of  salt  into 
which  she  was  changed  existed  in  his  day,  and  he  had  seen  it. 
Other  early  travelers  have  spoken  of  this  remarkable  monu- 
ment as  still  being  in  existence  here,  and  various  marvelous 
and  superstitious  stories  were  told  in  connexion  with  it. 
Lynch's  account  of  it  is  as  follows:  "Approaching  the  salt 
mountain,  we  saw,  to  our  astonishment,  on  the  eastern  side  of 
Usdom,  a  lofty,  round  pillar,  standing  apparently  detached 
from  the  general  mass  [of  salt]  at  the  head  of  a  deep,  narrow 


24G 


THE   HOLY  LAND. 


and  abrupt  chasm.  We  found  the  pillar  to  be  of  solid  salt, 
capped  with  carbonate  of  lime,  cylindrical  in  front  and  pyra- 
midal behind.  The  upper,  or  rounded  part,  is  about  forty  feet 
high,  resting  on  a  kind  of  oval  pedestal,  from  forty  to  sixty 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  slightly  decreases  in  size 
upwards,  crumbles  at  the  top,  and  is  one  entire  mass  of  crystal- 
ization.  A  prop  or  buttress  connects  it  with  the  mountain 
behind,  and  the  whole  is  covered  with  debris  of  a  light  stone 
color.  Its  peculiar  shape  is  doubtless  attributable  to  the  action 
of  the  winter  winds."  This  singular  column  is  undoubtedly 
the  result  of  natural  causes,  and  yet  it  is  not  strange  that  it 
should  become  blended  in^he  minds  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
land  with  the  story  of  Lot's  wife. 

It  is  this  salt  formation,  about  the  lower  part  of  the  sea,  that 
imparts  its  intense  saline  properties  to  the  waters;  probably 
the  depths  of  the  sea  also  abound  in  salt  pits  and  springs. 
The  Jordan,  with  its  vast  floods;  the  Arnon,  Cherith  and  other 
mountain  streams,  have  been  for  near  four  thousand  years 
pouring  into  it  their  supplies  of  fresh,  sweet  wTaters,  but  they 
produce  no  change.  Some  idea  of  this  intense  saltness  may  be 
formed  from  the  fact  that  while  common  sea  water  has  only 
four  per  cent,  of  salt,  Dead  Sea  water  has  twenty-six.  The 
water  also  contains  other  chemical  properties,  rendering  it 
intensely  bitter  and  pungent,  making  it  one  of  the  most  dis- 
gusting and  nauseous  compounds  imaginable.  A  single  drop 
of  it  can  scarcely  be  endured  upon  the  tongue.  The  salt 
obtained  by  the  evaporation  of  the  water  is  too  bitter  for  use, 
and  is  given  by  the  Arabs  to  their  sheep  for  medicine.  It  is 
said,  however,  they  have  a  process  of  purifying  it  so  as  to  make 
it  palatable.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  water  is  about  1,200, 
distilled  water  being  1,000.  The  following  analysis  may  be 
taken  as  about  an  average  of  the  results  of  several  analyses  of 
its  waters,  showing  the  proportion  of  salt  to  the  one  hundred : 

Muriate  of  Lime   3,920  grains. 

Muriate  of  Magnesia   10,246  " 

Muriate  of  Soda  ,   10,360  " 

Sulphate  of  Lime   0.054  " 

Large  lumps  of  bitumen  or  asphaltum  are  found  along  the 


BUJLDING   A  COLLEGE. 


247 


shore,  and  during  the  earthquakes  that  have  taken  place  here 
in  modern  times,  large  quantities  of  this  substance  have  been 
thrown  up  from  the  waters  of  the  sea.  This  substance  hardens 
into  lumps,  and  is  known  under  the  name  of  Jews  pitch, 
Moses  stone,  or  Dead  Sea  stone.  It  partially  ignites  in  the  fire, 
and  emits  a  sulphurous  smell.  Quite  large  quantities  of  it  are 
taken  to  Jerusalem  and  manufactured  into  cups,  bowls,  snuff- 
boxes, rosaries,  crucifixes  and  the  like,  and  bought  up  by  visit- 
ors, to  take  home  with  them.  The  sea,  having  no  known  out- 
let, the  influx  of  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  and  other  streams, 
during  the  rainy  seasons  of  the  year,  increases  the  depth  of  the 
water  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet.  This  is  thrown  off  again  by 
evaporation  during  the  heat  of  the  summer,  and  it  is  this 
rapid  evaporation  of  the  water  that  produces  the  constant  hazy 
state  of  the  atmosphere,  much  like  the  Indian  summer  of  our 
western  prairies,  that  all  travelers  notice,  adding  greatly  to  the 
appearance  of  solitude  and  gloom  that  enshrouds  the  place. 
In  addition  to  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun  pouring  into  this 
deep  caldron-like  basin,  the  neighborhood  of  the  sea  is  occa- 
sionally visited  by  the  scorching  sirocco  of  the  southern  deserts. 
These  fiery  winds  Lynch's  men  found  it  almost  impossible  to 
endure,  their  face  and  hands  were  blistered,  the  sands  on  the 
shore  become  so  burning  hot  they  could  not  stand  upon  them, 
and  every  metalic  object  scorched  the  hand  that  came  in  con- 
tact with  it.  The  thermometer  stood  at  98°  at  midnight,  and 
the  men  were  sometimes  compelled  to  wrap  themselves  head 
and  body  in  a  blanket  and  throw  themselves  upon  the  ground. 

A   BATH   IN   THE   DEAD  SEA. 

Such  are  some  of  the  characteristics  of  this  wonderful  body 
of  waters  over  which  there  hangs  the  everlasting  shroud  of  its 
own  changing  vapors.  Let  us  approach  the  shore,  and  come  in 
closer  contact  with  it.  I  found  it  quite  different  from  what  I 
expected.  My  imagination  had  not  only  wrapt  the  sea  in 
gloom,  but  invested  its  shores  with  swampy  morasses,  and  its 
waters  with  a  dark,  turbid  aspect,  and  overspread  them  with 
slime  and  pitch.  What  was  my  surprise  to  find  a  clear  trans- 
parent water,  of  a  deep  green  hue,  lying  calm  and  tranquil  in 


} 

248 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


the  sunlight,  and  bounded  by  a  clean,  handsome,  pebbly  shore! 
Lynch  tells  us,  he  found  near  the  southern  end,  in  some  places, 
a  dark  scum  on  the  waters  and  a  marshy  shore,  but  here  there 
was  nothing  of  the  kind.  It  was  a  clear,  calm  day,  and  the 
water  lay  in  tranquil  beauty,  like  an  immense  mirror,  tossing 
the  sunbeams  from  its  bosom.  It  was  a  strange  contrast  with 
the  surrounding  scenery,  and  only  served  to  render  its  immense 
frame-work  of  craggs  and  cliffs  far  more  magnificently  wild 
and  majestic. 

What  traveler,  after  so  long  and  toilsome  a  journey,  would 
miss  the  opportunity  of  a  bath  in  these  strange  waters !  A  few 
minutes,  and  our  whole  party,  I  believe,  without  a  single  excep- 
tion, were  floating  about  like  so  many  corks.  The  density  of 
this  sea  is  greater  than  that  of  any  other  known  body  of  water. 
I  tried  several  experiments  to  test  this  peculiar  property  of  the 
water ;  by  keeping  the  feet  under  me  with  only  motion  enough 
to  keep  the  body  in  a  perpendicular  position,  I  could  float  with 
my  head  and  shoulders  to  the  arm-pits  above  the  water.  Ly- 
ing at  length  upon  the  water,  I  could  not  float,  for  the  density 
of  the  water  was  such  that  the  feet  would  be  thrown  upward,  so 
as  to  submerge  the  head;  but  when  I  turned  upon  my  back, 
elevated  the  head,  and  drew  up  the  knees  so  as  to  balance  the 
body  on  the  water,  I  could  lie  with  head,  arms  and  knees  above 
the  water  and  float  like  a  piece  of  wood,  as  long  as  I  kept  my- 
self in  that  position.  The  experiment  has  been  tried  of  swim- 
ming a  horse  in  the  water,  when  it  was  found  the  buoyancy  of 
the  water  was  such  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  the  animal  to 
keep  his  feet  under  him;  in  his  terror,  he  could  only  flounder 
about  upon  his  side. 

I  went  ii  to  the  sea  with  great  hesitation  and  dread  from  the 
stories  I  had  read  of  its  corrosive  properties,  and  the  clammy 
prickling  sensation  it  produces.  I  am  inclined  to  think  travel- 
ers have  very  much  exaggerated  this  effect  of  the  sea.  If  such 
smarting  sensations  have  been  produced  it  must  be  in  conse- 
quence of  the  skin's  having  been  previously  fretted  by  riding 
or  irritated  by  the  heat ;  in  such  cases,  this  water  would  produce 
the  same  effect  of  any  other  salt  water  applied  to  the  raw  flesh. 
All  the  effect  I  perceived,  on  emerging  from  the  water,  was  a 


THE    DEAD  SEA. 


249 


slight  greasy  feeling  of  the  surface  of  the  body.  I  wet  the  end 
of  a  towel  in  some  fresh  water  I  had  with  me  for  drink,  rubbed 
myself  with  it,  and  felt  no  more  inconvenience  of  any  kind. 
Lynch  did  not  find  any  such  irritating  quality  in  the  water,  un- 
less from  long  exposure  to  it.  In  bathing,  it  is  best  to  avoid 
getting  the  water  into  the  hair;  and  no  one  who  has  tasted  a 
drop  of  it,  need  be  admonished  not  to  get  it  into  his  mouth. 
Wherever  it  touches  the  clothes,  a  white  spot  is  produced  from 
the  salt  left  in  the  evaporation. 

And  now,  we  have  seen  the  sea,  bathed  in  its  waters,  recalled 
its  strange  history,  examined  some  of  its  wonders,  and  looked 
upon  the  solemn  scenery  that  gives  sublimity,  grandeur  and 
awfulness  to  the  place.  Shall  we  go?  "Wait.  Cast  your  eye 
on  those  scathed  and  blasted  hills,  over  these  burning  verdure- 
less  plains.  Are  there  any  lessons  to  be  read  there?  Look 
away  down  into  the  profound  depths  of  those  transparent 
waters !  Do  you  see  any  thing?  Hark  !  Are  there  any  mur- 
muring voices  whispering  in  solemn  accents  in  your  ear?  Ah, 
in  the  solemn  hush  of  the  deepest  silence  that  broods  over  this 
sea  of  death,  the  very  solemnity  is  instructive;  and  when  the 
tempest  comes  howling  from  those  mountain  crags,  waking  the 
deafening  echoes  of  their  yawning  chasms,  lashing  into  tem- 
pest these  dark  and  leaden  waters,  above  the  mingled  roar  of 
the  deafening  storm,  and  the  dashing  of  the  angry  waves  on 
the  foetid  shores,  may  be  heard  the  sepulchral  voices  that  come 
up  from  the  entombed  cities  of  forty  centuries,  speaking  of  the 
time  when 

"  The  cup  of  guilt  was  full  up  to  the  brim 
And  Mercy  weary  with  beseeching,  had 
Ketired  behind  the  sword  of  Justice,  red 
With  ultimate  and  unrepenting  wrath." 

Lieutenant  Lynch,  after  the  ample  facilities  afforded  him, 
after  having  made  a  most  thorough  exploration  of  this  sea  in 
all  its  parts,  and  all  its  surroundings,  says:  "The  inference 
from  the  Bible  that  this  entire  chasm  was  a  plain  sunk  and 
'overwhelmed7  by  the  wrath  of  God,  seems  to  be  sustained  by 
the  extraordinary  character  of  our  soundings."  He  records 
15 


250 


THE   HOLY  LAND. 


his  impression  that  the  mountains  are  older  than  the  sea — "the 
sea  was  a  subsequent  formation."  In  conclusion  he  gives  the  im- 
pressions made  upon  his  own  mind,  and  upon  the  minds  of  his 
men ;  and  it  is  the  more  impressive,  as  coming  from  one  who 
went  out  simply  as  a  scientific  man  to  make  an  exploration  in 
behalf  of  his  government  for  scientific  purposes : 

"Upon  ourselves  the  result  is  a  decided  one.  We  entered 
upon  this  sea  with  conflicting  opinions.  One  of  the  party  was 
skeptical,  and  another,  I  think,  a  professed  unbeliever  of  the 
Mosaic  account.  After  twenty -two  days  of  close  investigation, 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  we  are  unanimous  in  the  conviction  of  the 
truth  of  the  Scriptural  account  of  the  destruction  of  the  cities  of  the 
plain.  I  record,  with  diffidence,  the  conclusions  we  have 
reached,  simply  as  a  protest  against  the  shallow  deductions  of 
would-be  unbelievers." 

The  story  in  Genesis  is  a  strange  one;  we  need  strong  evi- 
dence to  give  us  faith  in  the  wonderful  narration.  Aside  from 
the  evidences  that  conspire  to  establish  the  Book  of  Revelation 
as  a  whole — and  if  we  take  the  whole  we  must  take  its  parts — 
how  much  evidence  is  here  seen  to  confirm  the  special  narration 
that  records  the  overthrow  and  overflow  of  the  cities  of  the 
plain.  Is  any  thing  too  hard  for  the  Lord  ?  Is  not  his  quiver 
full  of  arrows,  and  can  he  not  direct  them  with  unerring  skill 
and  certainty,  and  with  the  awful  energy  of  Omnipotence?  No 
doubt  but  God  here  made  use  of  natural  agencies  for  the  exe- 
cution of  his  stern  and  fearful  judgments ;  but  the  execution 
was  none  the  less  terrible,  and  none  the  less  an  act  of  direct 
and  Almighty  power  on  that  account.  The  overthrow  was  ac- 
companied by  exhibitions  of  the  most  awful  and  terrific  kind. 
The  vale  was  full  of  bituminous  pits.  These  inflammable  sub- 
stances were  kindled,  and  fire  broke  forth  from  the  ground.  By 
the  power  of  volcanic  action  they  were  ejected  into  the  air,  and 
came  raining  down  from  the  uplifted  and  quaking  hills.  Here 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  Admah  and  Zeboim  met  their  astounding 
and  deserved  overthrow !  It  wTas  an  utter  and  irreparable  ruin. 
No  one  can  stand  here  and  look  on  this  impressive  scenery,  and 
not  feel  the  conviction  that  this  sea  is  a  creation  of  the  wrath 
of  God.    The  hand  of  the  Almighty  has  been  here,  and  he  has 


SEA   OF  SODOM. 


251 


left  his  imprint  on  this  barren  plain,  these  scorched  and  black- 
ened hills,  these  sulphurous  shores,  these  salt  and  bitter  waters 
of  death.  This  dark  and  mysterious  sea,  and  these  gloomy 
hills  are  monuments  placed  here  by  the  Almighty,  upon  which 
all  succeeding  generations  may  read,  traced  as  with  letters  of 
fire,  the  Handwriting  of  his  judgments,  the  certainty  of  his 
displeasure  against  sin.  Jude  tells  us,  in  the  book  of  God,  that 
these  buried  cities  "giving  themselves  over  to  fornication,  and 
going  after  strange  flesh,  are  set  forth  an  example  suffering  the 
vengeance  of  eternal  fire."  God  created  a  beautiful  Eclen,  and 
man  rejected  it.  That  Eden  the  joyous  type  of  innocence  has 
faded  from  the  earth ;  sin  reigns,  and  here  the  symbol  of  its 
punishment  remains,  a  type  of  the  retributive  justice  of  God! 


252 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Return  from  the  Dead  Sea  —  Leaving  Jerusalem  —  Tour 

Northward. 

We  spread  our  cloth  upon  the  shore  of  the  sea,  arranged  our 
lunch,  and  amid  the  solitude  and  gloom  of  the  place,  took  our 
frugal  meal  of  cold  chicken  and  brown  bread.  Here  our  com- 
pany separated,  a  part  to  visit  the  convent  of  Mar  Saba,  and 
from  thence  to  return  to  Jerusalem  by  way  of  Bethlehem,  a 
part  to  return  direct  to  the  city.  The  Convent  of  Mar  Saba  is 
situated  among  the  wild,  rocky  ravines  of  the  wilderness  of  Ju- 
dea,  and  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  buildings 
in  Palestine,  built  upon  the  sides  of  precipitous  rocks,  and  partly 
excavated  within  them.  For  ourselves  having  visited  Bethle- 
hem, and  had  quite  an  experience  in  convent  life,  we  preferred 
taking  the  shortest  passage  home.  A  coupl^  of  hours'  ride 
across  the  plain,  brought  us  to  our  tents  at  Jericho,  which  we 
found  doubly  stocked  with  fleas,  the  lounging,  filthy  villagers 
having  taking  advantage  of  our  abscene  to  rest  in  the  shade, 
and  sleep  upon  our  mats. 

We  spent  the  evening  hours  wandering  about  the  site  of  old 
Jericho,  meditating  at  the  base  of  Quarantania,  and  watching 
the  fading  sunlight  as  his  parting  rays  died  away  on  the  oppo- 
site mountains  of  Moab — JSTebo,  Pisgah,  Peor  and  Abarim. 
Here  I  was  in  the  very  midst  of  the  scenery  of  one  of  our  most 
beautiful  hymns,  and  with  what  force  the  words  were  brought 
home  to  me : 

"  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood, 
Stand  dressed  in  living  green  ; 
So  to  the  Jews  fair  Canaan  stood, 
"While  Jordan  rolled  between. 


FRUIT    OF   THE  VALLEY. 


255 


Could  I  but  climb  where  Moses  stood, 

And  view  the  landscape  o'er — 
Not  Jordan's  stream,  nor  death's  cold  flood, 

Should  fright  me  from  the  shore." 

As  the  dusk  of  evening  crept  over  the  land,  we  repaired  to 
the  brook  Cherith  for  a  bath;  thus  we  had  enjoyed  a  bath  in 
the  Jordan  in  the  morning,  in  the  Dead  Sea  at  noon,  and  in  the 
waters  of  this  renowned  stream  at  night. 

APPLES   OP  SODOM. 

We  were  anxious  to  see  some  of  the  celebrated  apples  of 
Sodom ;  but  it  was  either  not  the  season  for  them  or  there  were 
none  in  this  vicinity ;  we  inquired  among  the  Arabs  for  them, 
but  none  of  them  could  show  us  any.  The  first  mention  of 
these  is  said  to  be  by  Josephus ;  he  says  they  have  a  color  as  if 
fit  to  be  eaten,  but  if  you  pluck  them  with  your  hands  they  dis- 
solve into  smoke  and  ashes.  Tacitus  in  speaking  of  the  vicini- 
ty of  this  sea  says :  "  The  herbage  may  spring  up,  and  the 
trees  may  put  forth  their  blossoms,  they  may  even  attain  the 
usual  appearance  of  maturity,  but  with  this  flower  outside,  all 
within  turns  black  and  molders  into  dust."  I  find  a  great  va- 
riety of  opinion  among  different  writers,  who  have  visited  here, 
in  reference  to  this  fruit.  Lynch  gathered  and  preserved  some 
of  the  fruit  of  the  osher,  which  he  says  was  fair  to  the  eye,  and 
bitter  to  the  taste,  and  when  ripe,  filled  with  fibre  and  dust. 
These  specimens  he  brought  home,  and  deposited  in  the  patent 
office  at  Washington,  as  the  genuine  apples  of  Sodom.  Some 
writers  have  treated  the  whole  account  of  them  as  fabulous, 
among  whom  are  Pocoke  and  Shaw.  De  Chartres  was  here  as 
early  as  the  year'1100,  and  makes  mention  of  this  fruit,  and 
compares  its  deceitful  appearance  to  the  pleasures  of  the  world. 
Others  have  made  mention  of  the  fruit,  but  have  ascribed  its 
production  to  different  species  of  plants.  From  all  accounts  I 
can  gather  of  this  fruit,  it  seems  to  be  much  like  tjie  "oak 
balls"  or  u oak  apples"  sometimes  called — of  our  own  forests. 
These  are  produced  by  the  puncture  of  an  insect  upon  the 
young  tender  leaves  in  the  spring.  I  used  to  gather  them  by 
the  hatfull  in  my  school-boy  days ;  they  grew,  many  of  them, 


256 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


as  large  as  a  medium-sized  apple,  very  fair  and  handsome  to 
the  sight,  but  containing  nothing  but  a  little  fibrous  matter 
with  a  worm  in  the  center,  and  when  left  till  they  were  dry 
they  contained  nothing  but  a  little  dust.  I  apprehend  these 
apples  of  Sodom  are  a  similar  product,  -and  if  so,  they  may  be 
found  on  different  varieties  of  trees,  which  may  account  for  the 
discrepant  account  travelers  have  given  of  their  origin. 

A    SUPPOSED   ROBBER   AND   A  FRIGHT. 

Amid  Bedawin,  dogs,  thieves  and  fleas,  our  slumbers  on  retir- 
ing for  the  night  were  not  likely  to  be  of  the  profoundest  kind. 
The  robbery  of  one  of  our  tents  the  night  before  was  calculated 
to  awaken  suspicion,  and  put  us  on  our  guard.  A  little  past 
midnight  a  slight  rustle  in  the  tent  awakened  me,  and  I  was 
conscious  some  one  was  stealthily  crawling  about.  I  called  out, 
"What's  wanted?"  "Moiya" — the  Arabic  for  water  was  the 
answer.  Receiving  an  answer  in  Arabic,  I  supposed,  of  course, 
an  Arab  had  crept  into  our  tent,  and  now  under  pretence  of 
wanting  water  was  trying  to  excuse  his  presence.  I  started  up 
on  hands  and  kness,  and  fiercely  ordered  him  out  of  the  tent. 
In  the  dim  starlight  I  could  just  discern  him  as,  also  on  all- 
fours,  he  turned  round  and  facing  me  only  two  or  three  feet 
distant,  commenced  jabbering  in  an  unintelligible  jargon.  I 
was  too  much  frightened  to  reason,  and  knowing  my  compan- 
ion had  his  revolver  under  his  pillow,  I  commenced  shouting, 
Baker,  Baker,  a  robber !  shoot  him  !  shoot  him !  The  more  I 
shouted  the  more  earnest  the  intruder  became,  until  my  com- 
panion, who  was  more  of  a  linguist  than  myself,  was  suffi- 
ciently aroused  to  take  part  in  the  scene.  He  found  myself  and 
one  of  our  German  companions  both  on  our'hands  and  knees, 
our  heads  within  five  feet  of  each  other,  myself  shouting  in  En- 
glish to  have  him  murdered,  and  he  jabbering  away  in  German, 
trying  to  explain  to  me  his  presence  in  our  tent,  while  I,  too 
much  excited  to  distinguish  German  from  Arabic,  supposed  I 
was  facing  a  Bedawin  robber.  Wanting  a  pitcher  of  water 
that  stood  in  our  tent,  and  not  wishing  to  disturb  us,  supposing 
we  were  asleep,  he  had  thus  stealthily  crawled  in  to  get  it. 
His  first  answering  me  in  Arabic  was  what  had  misled  me. 


KETUKN    TO  JERUSALEM. 


257 


When  we  came  to  understand  it,  the  scene  was  so  ludicrous  it 
ended  in  a  hearty  laugh,  though  but  for  the  timely  explanation 
it  might  have  ended  in  a  tragedy. 

With  the  fright  and  the  fleas,  there  was  no  more  chance  for 
sleep.  The  moon  was  soon  above  the  horizon,  and  we  struck 
our  tents  and  packed  our  mules  by  her  light,  and  before  the 
first  rays  of  the  morning  sun  had  touched  the  tall,  white  cliffs 
of  Quarantania,  we  were  moving  across  the  plain.  We  now 
realized  the  accuracy  of  the  Scripture  language,  where  speak- 
of  Jesus  in  his  journey  from  this  place  it  says:  "He  went  be- 
fore ascending  up^ to  Jerusalem"  for  we  had  now  an  ascent  of 
about  three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  to  make  to  reach  the 
city.  At  last,  the  toilsome  labor  was  accomplished ;  about  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  wound  around  the  southwestern 
slope  of  Olivet.  Jerusalem  burst  upon  our  view,  and  we  saw  it 
again  from  the  very  spot  from  which  Jesus  looked  when  he 
wept  over  it.  Jehoshaphat  and  the  Kidron  were  passed,  we 
bowed  to  the  guard  at  the  gate  of  St.  Stephen,  and  our  excur- 
sion was  ended. 

ARRANGEMENTS   TO   LEAVE  JERUSALEM. 

We  had  spent  a  month  in  the  Holy  City,  and  the  time  was 
now  approaching  that  we  must  leave  its  interesting  scenes.  A 
company  of  six  clergymen,  three  from  Scotland,  and  three  from 
England,  joined  us,  making  a  party  of  nine,  and  we  were  to 
make  the  tour  of  northern  Palestine  together.  The  first  thing 
was  to  secure  a  dragoman.  Several  offered  their  services,  but 
we  thought  their  terms  too  high — though  the  expense  of  travel 
through  this  land  for  the  last  few  years  has  considerably  in- 
creased. Parties  of  two  or  three  are  compelled  to  pay  a  good 
dragoman  as  high  as  seven  or  eight  dollars  a  day.  The  more 
there  are  in  the  party,  the  less  per  person  the  contractor  can 
afford  to  take  them  for.  We  ascertained  first  from  resident 
Americans  what  would  be  a  fair  compensation,  and  that  we 
were  willing  to  give.  At  last,  we  selected  our  man,  an  active, 
intelligent  Jew,  a  native  of  the  city,  and  who  had  been  for  a 
number  of  years,  engaged  in  the  business.    Meeting  at  the 


25S 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


office  of  the  British  Consul,  we  entered  into  the  following 
contract : 

"This  agreement  made  this  6th.  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1861,  between  E.  P.  Baker,. 
A.  C.  Herrick,  D.  A.  Randall,  J.  W.  Coombs,  Arthur  Hall,  Bryan  Dale,  George 
Sandie,  George  McCorkindale  and  James  McGregor  of  the  first  part,  and  Abraham 
Mordeica  of  the  second  part,  Witnesseth : 

1.  That  the  said  Abraham  Mordeica  agrees  to  convey  the  parties  of  the  first  part 
from  Jerusalem  to  Beirut  by  the  way  of  Samaria,  Nazareth,  Tiberias,  Mount  Car- 
mel,  Tyre  and  Sidon;  the  journey  to  commence  on  Monday,  April  15,  1861,  and 
to  occupy  not  less  than  twelve  nor  more  than  thirteen  days. 

2.  The  parties  of  the  first  part  shall  have  the  privilege  of  directing  the  details 
of  said  journey ;  deciding  what  places  on  said  general  route  they  will  visit,  and 
how  long  they  will  remain  at  each;  but  no  variations  or  stoppages  shall  be  made 
that  will  protract  said  journey  beyond  the  thirteen  days  ;  and  if  the  party  choose 
to  remain  encamped  and  rest  from  travel  on  Sunday,  they  shall  have  the  privilege 
of  doing  so. 

3.  The  said  Abraham  Mordeica  agrees  to  furnish  the  aforesaid  party  good  riding 
horses,  and  all  necessary  pack-horses  or  mules  for  the  conveyance  of  their  bag- 
gage, and  all  needed  assistance  and  protection  for  the  security  of  their  persons, 
and  the  safe  delivery  of  their  property  in  Beirut;  and  should  any  of  the  horses  by 
accident  or  fatigue  become  disabled,  others  shall  be  furnished  in  their  place. 

4.  The  said  Abraham  Mordeica  shall  furnish  good  tents,  iron  bedsteads,  clean 
beds  and  bedding.  He  shall  also  furnish  a  good  and  substantial  breakfast  of  omu- 
let  or  cooked  eggs,  one  dish  of  meat  with  vegetables,  and  tea,  coffee,  etc.  At 
noon  a  cold  lunch  of  chicken  or  other  meat,  eggs,  bread,  cheese,  fruit,  etc.  A 
good  dinner  shall  be  furnished  on  encamping  for  the  night  of  soup,  two  courses  of 
meat,  bread,  vegetables,  coffee,  rice,  fruit,  etc.  The  provision  and  all  the  supplies 
to  be  of  such  quality,  quantity  and  variety  as  is  customary  in  such  traveling  ex- 
cursions. 

5.  The  said  Abraham  Mordeica  shall  pay  all  the  expenses  of  said  journey  to 
Beirut,  except  such  backsheesh  as  may  be  required  of  \he  parties  of  the  first  part, 
in  visiting  such  places  as  they  may  think  best,  and  he  shalP  perform  all  the  duties 
a  dragoman  is  accustomed  to  perform  on  such  journeys. 

6.  The  said  Abraham  Mordeica  shall  receive  from  each  of  the  above  named  par- 
ties of  the  first  part,  one  pound  sterling  per  day  for  each  day  of  said  journey ;  six 
pounds  sterling  to  be  paid  by  each  person  on  the  signing  of  this  contract,  one 
pound  sterling  from  each  one  at  such  time  on  the  journey  as  the  said  Abraham 
may  wish,  and  the  balance  on  arrival  in  Beirut,  and  the  said  sum  of  one  pound 
sterling  per  day  from  each  one  is  all  the  said  Abraham  shall  be  entitled  to  receive 
for  any  expenses  he  may  incur  in  the  performance  of  this  contract  in  going  to 
Beirut,  and  his  return  shall  be  at  his  own  expense. 

7.  Any  difference  of  opinion  that  may  arise  in  regard  to  the  meaning  or  fulfill- 
ment of  this  contract  shall  be  settled  at  the  office  of  the  British  Consul  in  Beirut, 
and  his  decision  shall  be  final  in  the  matter. 

[Signed  by  the  parties.] 


VISIT   TO    THE  SUPERIOR. 


259 


Both,  parties  appeared  in  Her  Britanic  Majesty's  Consulate  of  Jerusalem,  and 
agreed  to  the  above  in  my  presence. 

[l.  s.]  Peter  Meshullam,  Cancelliere. 

Jerusalem,  April  10th,  1861. 

VISIT    TO    THE   SUPERIOR   OF    THE  CONVENT. 

Saturday,  April  13.  We  had  not  yet  seen  the  Head  of  the 
Convent,  and  we  made  arrangements  with  the  monk,  Stafford, 
to  accompany  and  introduce  us  during  the  afternoon.  We 
found  him  in  his  room  in  the  convent  building.  He  received 
us  pleasantly  and  cordially.  'Not  understanding  his  language, 
(Italian)  and  having  no  good  interpreter,  we  could  hold  but  lit- 
tle conversation  with  him,  but  on  parting  we  put  into  his  hand 
the  following  note : 

Casa  Nuova,  April  13,  1861 

To  the  Father  Superior  of  the  Convent  : 

We  came  into  the  Holy  City  strangers  and  foreigners.  We  came  as  Christians 
on  a  journey  of  near  seven  thousand  miles,  to  visit  the  holy  places  where  Patri- 
archs, Prophets  and  Apostles  traveled,  toiled,  suffered  and  were  entombed ;  and, 
more  than  all,  where  the  blessed  Savior  was  born,  cradled,  labored,  wept,  agonized, 
died,  was  buried,  rose  again,  and  ascended  in  triumph  to  heaven.  We  were  re- 
ceived into  your  hospitable  home,  we  have  been  kindly  treated,  and  many  facili- 
ties have  been  afforded  us  in  visiting  those  sacred  places,  towards  which  every 
Christian  heart  turns  with  fondest  affection.  We  expect  to  leave  on  Monday 
morning.  Please  accept  our  thanks  for  all  your  kindness  and  hospitality.  We 
shall,  in  our  distant  homes,  cherish  a  grateful  remembrance  of  the  kind  attentions 
we  have  received,  and  our  affections  will  hereafter  cluster  more  closely  around  the 
cross  of  the  blessed  Savior  as  the  result  of  tbis  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land  and 
the  City  of  the  Great  King. 

We  cheerfully  tender  th£  accompanying  donation,  which  please  accept  in  part 
compensation  for  the  trouble  and  expense  we  have  occasioned  you.  With  our  best 
wishes  for  your  welfare — farewell.  Yours  truly,  &c. 

LAST   MORNING   IN  JERUSALEM. 

April  15.  In  the  distribution  of  backsheesh  we  did  not  for- 
get Joseph  the  butler  and  cook,  nor  the  old  door-keeper,  who 
was  ever  ready  to  serve  us.  In  return,  as  a  parting  memento, 
he  gave  each  of  us  a  rosary  made  from  the  stones  of  the  olives 
that  grew  on  the  old  trees  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  gath- 
ered and  strung,  as  I  understood,  by  his  own  hand.  Their  be- 
ing done  up  in  the  form  of  a  rosary  added  nothing  to  their 
value,  in  our  estimation,  but  the  locality  from  which  they  came, 


260 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


and  the  apparent  good  will  with  which  they  were  bestowed 
upon  us,  made  them  a  precious  souvenir.  The  Father  Supe- 
rior also  sent  each  of  us  the  following  printed  certificate,  which 
we  brought  away  with  us,  and  which  I  here  insert  as  a  matter 
of  curiosity,  not  expecting,  however,  a  diploma  from  such  a 
source  will  add  any  thing  to  our  standing  among  our  protestant 
friends.    We  give  the  original  and  a  translation: 

IN  DEI  NOMINE  AMEN. 

Omnibus,  et  singulis  prsesentes  litteras  inspecturis,  lecturis,  vel  legi  audituria 
fidem,  noturaque  facimus,  Nos  Terrse  Sanctse  Gustos  Domino  David  Austin  Randall, 
Americanum,  Jerusalem  feliciter  pervenisse  die  21st  mensis  Martii,  1861,  inde 
subsequentibus  diebus  prsecipua  Sanctuaria,  in  quibus  Mundi  Salvator  dilectum 
populum  suum,  imo  et  totius  humani  generis  perditam  congeriem  ab  inferi  servi- 
tute  misericorditer  liberavit,  utpote  Calvarium,  ubi  Cruci  aflixus,  devieta  morte, 
Coeli  januas  nobis  aperuit ;  SS.  Sepulchrum,  ubi  Sacrosanctum  ejus  corpus  recon- 
ditum,  triduo  ante  suam  gloriosissimam  Resurrectionem  quievit,  ac  tandem  ea 
omnia  Sacra  Palestine  Loca  gressibus  Domini,  ac  Beatissimse  ejus  Matris  Mariae 
consecrata,  a  Religiosis  nostris,  et  Peregrinis  visitari  solita,  visitasse.  In  quorum 
fidem  has  scripturas  officii  nostri  sigillo  munitas  per  Secretarium  expediri  manda- 
vimus. 

Datis  apud  S.  Civitatem  Jerusalem  ex  Venerabili  nostro  Conventu  SS.  Salva- 
toris,  die  15  mensis  Aprilis,  anno  D.  1861. 


To  all  and  each,  who  shall  inspect,  read,  or  hear  these  writings  read :  We,  the 
guardian  of  the  Holy  Land,  give  assurance  and  proof,  that  Rev.  David  Austin 
Randall,  an  American,  happily  arrived  at  Jerusalem  on  the  21st  day  of  the  month 
of  March,  1861 ;  then  on  subsequent  days,  visited  the  principal  sacred  places,  in 
which  the  Savior  of  the  world,  mercifully  delivered  his  beloved  people,  yea,  and 
the  lost  mass  of  the  whole  human  race,  from  the  lowest  bondage  ;  viz :  Calvary, 
where  fastened  to  the  cross,  with  death  vanquished,  he  opened  to  us  the  doors 
of  heaven  ;  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  where  his  most  holy  body  having  been  laid,  rested 
three  days  before  his  most  glorious  resurrection ;  and  finally,  all  those  sacred  pla- 
ces of  Palestine,  consecrated  by  the  footsteps  of  the  Lord  and  his  most  blessed 
mother,  Mary,  accustomed  to  be  visited  by  the  pious,  and  by  strangers.  In  assur- 
ance of  which,  we  have  caused  this  writing,  confirmed  by  the  seal  of  our  office,  to 
he  prepared  by  the  Secretary. 

Given  at  the  holy  city  of  Jerusalem  from  our  venerable  Convent  of  Saint  Salva- 
tor, on  the  15th  of  the  month  April,  A.  D.  1861. 


De  Mandato  Reverndiss.  in  Christo  Patris. 
Fr.  Clemens  A.  Solerio, 

Terrae  Sanctse  Secretariua. 


IN  THE  NAME  OF  GOD,  AMEN. 


By  command  of  the  most  Reverend  Father  in  Christ. 
Clemens  A.  Solekio, 

Secretary  of  the  Holy  Land. 


LEAVING  JERUSALEM. 


261 


Quite  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  fell  this  morning,  accompanied 
by  lightning  and  heavy  thunder.  This  is  just  about  the  clos- 
ing up  of  the  "  latter  rains ;  "  after  a  few  days  they  expect  no 
more  rain  till  the  latter  part  of  September  or  October.  It  was  my 
last  morning  in  Jerusalem.  I  rose  early,  and  taking  my  Bible, 
like  Peter  of  old  I  went  upon  the  house  top  to  read,  meditate, 
and  pray.  What  a  place  for  devotion  !  I  was  often  there 
during  my  stay  in  the  convent.  It  was  an  elevated  position, 
and  I  had  a  fine  view  of  the  country  about.  To  the  east  of 
me  was  Olivet,  the  Mount  of  Ascension,  its  summit  just  bathed 
in  the  golden  light  of  the  rising  sun ;  at  its  base,  and  now 
buried  in  its  deep  shadow,  lay  Gethsemane,  reviving  afresh 
a  thousand  recollections,  while  nearer  still  towered  up  the 
majestic  dome  that  sheltered  Calvary  and  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
From  the  Bible  I  read  again  the  story  of  the  agony,  the  betrayal 
and  the  crucifixion.  My  soul  was  wafted  upward  on  wings  of 
faith  and  love,  and  again  I  communed  with  God.  I  rejoiced  that 
my  eyes  had  been  permitted  to  look  on  these  places.  I  regret- 
ted I  was  now  to  leave  them,  and  see  them  no  more.  This  I 
said  was  Jerusalem  ;  it  is  such  no  longer!  It  has  accomplished 
its  mission!  Jerusalem  is  on  high.  From  this  city  I  must 
turn  away,  but  toward  the  real  one  I  hope  to  be  continually 
traveling,  till  I  hail  its  pearly  gates,  its  golden  streets,  its 
everlasting  light.  I  could  not  sing,  but  there  was  music  in  my 
heart,  and  the  soul's  devotion  found  expression  in  the  words  of 
a  familiar  hymn : 

"Jerusalem?  my  glorious  home! 

Name  ever  dear  to  me  ! 
When  shall  my  labors  have  an  end, 

In  joy,  and  peace,  and  thee  ? 
0  !  when,  thou  city  of  my  God, 

Shall  I  thy  courts  ascend  ? 
Where  congregations  ne'er  break  up, 

And  sabbaths  never  end  !  ' ' 

By  previous  agreement,  we  were  to  leave  the  city  at  10 
o'clock.  On  arriving  at  the  place  of  rendezvous,  we  found 
that  our  cook  and  one  of  the  servants,  in  passing  one  of  the 
narrow  streets  with  some  of  our  mules  and  luggage,  had  got 
into  a  quarrel  with  some  Turkish  muleteers,  about  the  right  of 

I 


262 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


way,  and  our  cook  had  been  arrested  for  assault  and  battery, 
and  thrown  into  prison.  Our  dragoman  spent  nearly  all  the 
morning  trying  to  procure  his  release,  but  in  vain,  and  at  last 
was  forced  to  employ  another  man.  We  had  also  considerable 
difficulty  about  our  horses;  they  had  been  previously  selected 
and  shown  us,  and  we  had  tried  and  accepted  them ;  but  now 
that  we  were  ready  to  start,  we  found  several  of  them  had  been 
changed,  and  much  poorer  ones  substituted — a  common  trick 
among  these  dragomen. 

At  last,  after  many  vexatious  delays,  we  made  our  escape 
from  the  ragged,  loafing  crowd  of  Arabs  and  beggars  that 
always  assemble  on  such  occasions,  eager  to  hold  your  horse, 
or  lift  your  traveling  bag,  or  adjust  your  stirrup,  or  in  some 
way,  no  matter  how  trivial,  lift  a  hand  for  you,  to  open  the 
way  for  an  earnest  solicitation  for  a  backsheesh!  We  left  the 
"  Traveler's  Rest,"  wheeled  into  the  street  of  Mount  Zion,  and 
went  clattering  along  the  rude  pavement,  and  emerging  from 
the  city  by  the  Damascus  Gate,  took  the  great  northern  thor- 
oughfare toward  Samaria. 

In  ancient  times  there  was  no  doubt  a  well  graded  and  finely 
paved  road  here,  and  a  few  traces  of  it  can  still  occasionally  be 
seen,  but  the  ravages  of  time  and  war  have  nearly  obliterated 
it.  Again  we  were  on  the  ground  where  Titus  commenced  the 
siege  that  ended  in  such  terrible  scenes  of  massacre  and  blood. 
We  passed  the  tombs  of  the  judges  and  of  the  kings,  crossed 
the  head  of  the  valley  of  the  Kidron,  and  ascended  the  ridge 
of  Scopus.  This  ridge  once  passed,  Jerusalem  would  be  hidden 
from  our  view  forever;  for  none  of  us  expected  to  return. 
What  multitudes  of  pilgrims  have  caught  their  first  view  of 
the  city  from  this  eminence,  and  hailed  with  joy  the  cheerful 
sight  of  Zion  !  What  multitudes,  as  they  have  left  it,  have 
paused  here  to  take  the  last  long,  lingering  look,  and  say 
farewell !  We  rode  to  the  highest  point  of  the  eminence, 
wheeled  our  horses  about,  and  for  a  long  time  gazed  in  silence, 
each  absorbed  in  deep  contemplation.    One  poet  says: 

*  *  It  is  fine 

To  stand  upon  some  lofty  mountain  thought, 
And  feel  the  spirit  stretch  into  a  view." 


* 


FAREWELL    TO  JERUSALEM. 


263 


Was  there  ever  a  spot  more  elevating,  more  suggestive, 
fraught  with  scenes  of  holier  and  more  stirring  interest  than 
the  one  on  which  we  now  stood  !  From  the  dark  mountains 
of  Moab  that  blended  with  'the  distant  horizon  ;  from  the 
mysterious  depths  of  that  solitary  sea,  over  which  they  cast 
their  shadows ;  from  the  long  winding  vale  of  the  Jordan  ; 
from  the  distant  hills  and  valleys  of  Bethlehem,  there  seemed 
to  come  strange  voices,  whispering  of  angel's  visits ;  while 
mingled  with  the  dim  mysteries  of  the  past  were  the  visions  of 
wonderful  scenes,  presenting  in  striking  contrast  the  dark 
clouds  of  wrath,  and  the  radiant  light  of  mercy.  And  set  in 
this  strange  and  magnificent  frame  work,  every  foot  of  which 
was  teeming  with  history,  every  valley  and  hill  top  of  which 
had  its  lesson,  lay  the  wonderful  city — the  city  with  its  history 
of  four  thousand  years — the  city  from  which  has  gone  out  the 
influence  that  is  ruling  the  world  !  Every  dome,  minaret  and 
spire  seemed  to  talk  to  us  and  the  mountain  hights  kindled 
with  a  fresh  inspiration  !  Jerusalem,  wonderful  city !  Thou 
art  embalmed  in  the  memory  of  every  Christian  ;  thou  hast  a 
home  in  the  affections  of  every  one  who  is  an  Israelite  indeed ! 
Thy  high  places  have  been  made  radiant  with  the  presence  of 
Deity ;  through  thy  streets,  prophets,  and  apostles  have  walked ! 
Gethsemane,  Olivet,  thy  paths  have  been  hallowed  by  the  foot- 
steps of  the  incarnate  son  of  God !  His  tears'  moistened  thy 
soil,  and  the  wail  of  his  anguish  mingled  with  the  murmur  of 
thy  waters,  0  Kidron !  Moriah,  thy  temple,  opened  its  gates 
to  the  everlining  Shekinah,  and  thou,  O  Calvary,  didst  drink  i 
his  blood !  How  can  I  leave  thee,  0  city  of  the  living  God ! 
"  If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning.  If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to 
the  roof  of  my  mouth!"  But  we  could  not  tarry.  Slowly 
and  reluctantly  we  turned  away.  We  descended  toward  the 
valley,  and  the  long  ridge  of  Scopus  lay  between  us  and  the 
city.  Farewell,  we  said  again,  the  bright  visions  of  thy  hal- 
lowed places  will  long  shed  their  blessed  influence  on  the  soul ! 

NOB   AND   THE    MASSACRE   OP    THE  PRIESTS. 

We  were  now  passing  over  a  diversified  country  of  lofty  hills 


264 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


and  wide-spread  vales,  the  most  of  which  presents  only  a 
barren  and  desolate  aspect.  The  limestone  rocks  that  were 
once  laid  in  handsome  terraces  and  walls,  are  scattered  about 
in  wild  confusion,  giving  a  ragged  and  barren  appearance  to 
the  hills,  while  the  miserable  cultivation  of  the  valleys,  and  the 
neglected  fig  and  olive  trees,  deepen  the  general  impression  of 
improvidence  and  decay.  Still  the  close  observer  can  easily 
detect  the  traces  of  what  might  soon,  under  the  transforming 
hand  of  industry,  make  this  neglected  land  what  it  once  was 
when  the  graphic  pen  of  the  sacred  historian  so  aptly  described 
it :  "  a  land  of  vines,  and  fig  trees,  and  pomegranates ;  a  land 
of  oil  olive  and  honey." 

In  our  "  foot  excursions  "  we  have  described  the  prominent 
scriptural  sites  in  this  immediate  vicinity — Gibeah  of  Saul, 
Mizpeh,  Ai,  Michmash,  Gibeon,  etc. — and  need  not  detain  the 
reader  with  further  notices  of  them.  To  one  place  only  will 
we  call  special  attention.  About  three-fourths  of  an  hour's 
ride  from  Jerusalem,  attention  is  directed  to  an  eminence 
covered  with  loose  stones,  the  top  marked  by  the  ruins  of  what 
appears  to  be  a  very  ancient  town.  Portions  of  the  rock  have 
been  cut  away  and  leveled,  and  large  cisterns  hewn  in  the  rocks 
are  still  to  be  seen.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  site  of  Nob, 
an  ancient  city  of  the  Israelitish  priests.  If  so,  let  let  us  pause 
here  a  moment,  for  it  has  been  the  scene  of  one  of  the  blood- 
iest and  most  inhuman  tragedies  that  characterized  the  reign  of 
a  mad  and  God-forsaken  king. 

Cast  your  eye  along  the  valley  toward  yonder  hill,  the  sum- 
mit of  which  was  once  crowned  by  ancient  Gibeah,  the  birth- 
place and  home  of  Saul.  From  that  city  Jonathan  descended, 
after  having  ascertained  the  design  of  his  father  to  slay  David. 
Among  the  rocks  of  this  valley,  along  which  we  have  been 
riding,  David,  by  previous  concert  with  Jonathan,  had  con- 
cealed himself.  Jonathan  gave  him  the  sign  by  which  he 
understood  that  his  life  was  sought,  and  that  there  was  no 
safety  but  in  immediate  flight.  Here  they  met,  wept,  embraced, 
and  parted,  after  having  entered  into  a  solemn  covenant  of 
perpetual  friendship.  Jonathan  returned  to  yonder  Gibeah, 
and  David  came  here  to  Nob.    By  an  artfully  framed  story,  he 


MASSACRE    OF  PRIESTS. 


265 


secured  the  assistance  of  Abimelech,  the  priest,  who  fed  him 
with  the  consecrated  bread,  and  gave  him  the  sword  of  Go- 
liath; and  he  fled  to  Achish,  the  king  of  Gath.  The  story  of 
David's  reception  at  Nob,  and  his  subsequent  flight,  was  made 
known  to  Saul  by  Doeg,  an  Edomite,  Saul's  chief  shepherd; 
and  the  anger  of  Saul  was  kindled  against  the  priests,  and 
against  the  city.  In  vain  was  Abimelech's  explanation;  in 
vain  his  asseverations  of  his  innocence,  of  the  purity  and  loyalty 
'  of  his  intentions ;  his  assertions  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the 
quarrel  that  had  excited  the  revenge  of  Saul.  Abimelech 
and  all  his  house  were  doomed  by  the  inexorable  king  to 
destruction.  But  such  was  the  evident  injustice  and  madness 
of  the  decree,  not  a  single  one  of  all  the  servants  of  Saul,  of 
Hebrew  blood,  would  lift  a  hand  to  execute  the  sentence ! 
They  dare  not,  and  would  not,  thus  slay  the  priests  of  the 
Lord.  And  Saul  said  to  Doeg:  "Turn  thou,  and  smite  the 
priests."  And  this  Edomite,  stranger  and  spy,  was  base 
enough  to  become  the  king's  executioner;  seizing  the  imple- 
ment of  death,  he  "  slew  fourscore  and  five  priests  that  did 
wear  a  linen  ephod;"  1  Sam.  xxi.  In  this  horrid  massacre, 
thie  whole  city  was  overthrown,  and  men,  women,  children  and 
sucklings,  oxen,  asses  and  sheep,  were  slain  with  the  sword. 

SITE    OF    ANCIENT  BETHEL. 

About  3  o'clock  we  stopped  to  take  our  lunch,  near  Beeroth, 
now  called  Bireh,  another  of  the  four  cities  of  the  crafty 
Gibeonites.  It  now  contains  seven  hundred  to  eight  hundred 
Moslem  inhabitants,  and  a  few  Christian  families.  Piles  of  old 
ruins  here  attract  the  attention  of  the  traveler,  among  trjem  a 
fine  old  gothic  church,  large  portions  of  the  walls  of  which  are 
still  standing,  another  hoary  monument  of  the  days  of  cru- 
saders and  knights  templars. 

About  half-past  4  o'clock  we  ascended  a  long  low  ridge, 
covered  with  great  piles  of  stone.  Here  we  paused  and  looked 
eagerly  about  us — we  were  standing  upon  the  site  of  old 
Bethel  !  Between  three  and  four  acres  of  ground  are  covered 
by  the  ruins.  Foundations,  fragments  of  walls,  and  heaps 
of  loose  stones,  lie  in  promiscuous  heaps  around  you.    On  the 


206 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


highest  point  may  be  seen  the  remains  of  an  old  square  tower, 
in  another  place  the  ruins  of  an  old  Greek  church,  inclosed 
within  the  foundations  of  another  and  much  older  edifice.  A 
few  miserable  huts,  some  fifteen  or  twenty  in  number,  con- 
structed from  the  ancient  materials,  and  occupied  by  ragged, 
miserable  looking  tenants,  constitute  the  modern*  village.  In 
the  valley,  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  village,  is  a  huge  cistern, 
built  of  massive  stones,  three  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  long, 
and  two  hundred  and  seventeen  feet  broad.  One  side  of  this 
great  reservoir  is  still  entire,  the  others  have  been  much  dilapi- 
dated by  the  ravages  of  time.  Its  bottom  is  now  a  beautiful 
grass  plat,  and  near  by  are  two  small  fountains  of  pure,  clear 
water,  from  which  this  great  tank  was  originally  supplied. 
This  place  is  about  twelve  miles  nearly  north  of  Jerusalem, 
and  is  undoubtedly  the  Bethel  of  scripture. 

We  may  then  sit  down  by  these  fountains,  and  with  the 
Bible  in  our  hand,  that  great  text  book  of  ancient  history, 
recall  the  interesting  incidents  that  have  here  transpired.  Surely 
this  spot  is  historic  ground,  and  renowned  visitants  have  been 
here  !  Originally  it  was  called  Luz.  Abraham,  on  his  first 
journey  through  the  land,  pitched  his  tent  here,  and  here  he 
built  an  altar,  and  called  on  the  name  of  Jehovah.  On  his 
return  from  Egypt,  he  could  not  forget  the  rich  pasture 
grounds,  and  the  refreshing  springs  of  water  that  existed  here. 
Rich  in  cattle,  in  silver  and  gold,  to  the  altar  he  had  built  he 
returned,  and  here  again  he  called  on  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
Over  these  broad  valleys  his  flocks  roamed ;  from  these  foun- 
tains he  watered  them,  and  here  the  maidens  of  Sarah  came 
to  fill  their  pitchers.  Here,  in  these  pasture  grounds,  com- 
menced the  strife  between  the  herdsmen  of  Abraham  and  his 
nephew  Lot,  and  here  the  old  patriarch  made  that  magnani- 
mous offer :  "  Let  there  be  no  strife,  I  pray  thee,  between  me 
and  thee,  and  between  my,  herdsmen  and  thy  herdsmen ;  for 
we  be  brethren.  Is  not  the  whole  land  before  thee  ?  Separate 
thyself,  I  pray  thee,  from  me ;  if  thou  wilt  take  the  left  hand, 
then  I  will  go  to  the  right;  or  if  thou  depart  to  the  right  hand, 
then  I  will  go  to  the  left."  From  this  place  it  was,  Lot  looked 
down  upon  yonder  beautiful  plain  of  the  Jordan,  beautiful  as 


VISIT   TO  BETHEL. 


267 


the  garden  of  the  Lord,  and  chose  him  a  residence  among 
those  cities  that  now  lie  entombed  beneath  the  bitter  waters 
of  the  Dead  Sea.  Here  too,  it  was,  the  Lord  appeared  to 
Abraham,  and  made  him  that  memorable  promise,  that  in  our 
journeyings  we  have  seen  so  signally  fulfilled  to  his  children : 
"  Lift  up  now  thine  eyes  and  look  from  the  place  where  thou 
art,  northward,  and  southward,  and  eastward,  and  westward, 
for  all  the  land  which  thou  seest  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to 
thy  seed  forever."    Gen.  xiii. 

Time  passed  on  ;  Abraham  found  a  resting  place  in  the  cave 
of  Machpelah,  and  Isaac  saw  his  sons  growing  up  around  him. 
A  lone  traveler,  with  his  staff  in  his  hand,  is  seen  passing  along 
this  valley.  He  has  made  a  long,  weary  journey  of  forty  miles, 
from  Beersheba,  and  now  the  shades  of  night  are  gathering 
around  him.  He  gathers  some  stones  for  his  pillow,  and  with 
the  hard  earth  for  his  bed,  and  the  broad  canopy  of  the 
heavens  for  his  covering,  composes  himself  to  rest.  He  had  a 
long  journey  of  near  five  hundred  miles  before  him;  he  wag 
in  the  vigor  of  life,  and  though  his  fare  was  scanty  and  his 
pillow  hard,  he  had  a  stout  heart,  and  was  favored  with 
pleasant  dreams.  He  saw  a  ladder  set  upon  the  earth,  and  the 
top  of  it  reached  to  heaven ;  and  behold  the  angels  of  God 
ascending  and  descending  upon  it !  Above  that  ladder  he  saw 
the  vision  of  the  Holy  One,  and  he  heard  a  voice  :  "  I  am  the 
Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God  of  Isaac ;  the 
land  whereon  thou  liest  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy 
seed : "  and  here  the  promise  was  made  him  that  he  should  be 
kept  in  all  his  ways,  and  brought  again  in  safety  to  this  land. 
He  awoke  from  this  strange  vision.  "  Surely,"  said  he,  "  the 
Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not.  How  dreadful  is  this 
place  !  This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  the  gate 
of  heaven."  Early  in  the  morning,  Jacob  rose  up,  took  the 
stone  he  had  put  for  his  pillow,  set  it  up  for  a  memorial  and 
dedicated  to  the  Lord.  And  he  called  the  name  of  that  place 
Beth-el — House  of  God. 

Years  passed  away.  "With  flocks  and  herds,  a  large  family 
of  children,  and  a  numerous  retinue  of  servants,  Jacob  came 
back  to  the  land  of  promise.  Again  the  Lord  appeared  to  him 


268 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


and  said:  "Arise,  go  up  to  Bethel,  and  make  there  an  altar 
unto  God."  Again  Jacob  and  all  his  household  dwelt  upon 
this  ground.  Again  he  built  an  altar  here  and  worshiped 
God.  And  he  called  the  place  El-Beth-el — God  the  House 
of  God.  Here  Deborah,  Rebeka's  nurse,  died,  and  they  buried 
her  "  beneath  Bethel,  under  an  oak."  What  a  history  this 
place  has !  How  strange  to  stand  here  on  the  camping  ground 
of  the  ancient  patriarchs,  musing  on  the  wonderful  events  in 
their  history  ! 

"We  have  not  time  to  trace  the  subsequent  fortunes  of  Bethel. 
In  the  time  of  the  conquest  by  Joshua,  it  was  one  of  the  royal 
cities,  governed  by  a  king,  and  was  conquered  by  the  Ephraim- 
ites,  as  it  lay  just  upon  the  borders,  between  them  and  Benja- 
min. It  afterwards  became  one  of  the  cities  in  which  Samuel 
held  his  circuit  court  when  he  judged  Israel.  The  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  seems  at  one  time  to  have  been  kept  here,  and  some 
suppose  the  Tabernacle  was  set  up  here.  In  the  separation  of 
the  kingdom,  after  the  death  of  Solomon,  Jeroboam,  fearing 
to  have  his  people  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship,  lest  they 
should  be  drawn  back  to  their  former  allegiance,  established 
idolatrous  worship,  made  two  golden  calves,  set  one  in  Dan  and 
the  other  he  placed  here  in  Bethel,  and  here  he  built  a  magni- 
ficent temple,  after  an  Egyptian  model,  intended  to  rival  the 
one  at  Jerusalem.  Such  was  the  iniquity  and  abomination  of 
this  idolatrous  worship,  the  '  name  Bethel — House  of  God — 
seemed  no  longer  appropriate,  and  the  name  was  changed  to 
Beth-aven — House  of  Idols.  It  was  in  one  of  these  idolatrous 
festivals  that  Jeroboam  attempted  to  lay  hold  of  a  prophet  of 
God  who  rebuked  his  abominable  worship,  and  his  arm  was 
paralyzed  and  withered.  These  iniquities  drew  down  the 
wrath  of  God  upon  the  place,  and  twenty-five  hundred  years 
ago  the  prophet  Amos  was  inspired  to  say :  "  Seek  not  Bethel, 
nor  enter  into  Gilgal;  for  Gilgal  shall  surely  go  into  captivity, 
and  Bethel  shall  come  to  naught."  Look  upon  these  heaps  of 
ruins,  these  broken  cisterns,  these  neglected  valleys ;  has  this 
prophecy  been  fulfilled  ?    Whose  Handwriting  is  here  ? 

Our  view  of  the  desolate  ruins  of  Bethel  was  completed,  and 
we  had  now  a  ride  of  three  or  four  hours  to  make  to  reach  the 


A   WILD  GLEN. 


269 


place  of  our  encampment,  whither  our  mules  and  luggage  had 
gone.  Do  the  best  we  could,  it  would  be  dark  an  hour  before 
we  could  reach  the  place,  and  these  wild  glens  are  not  pleas- 
ant places  for  night  travel.  We  now  passed  through  a  more 
highly  cultivated  portion  of  the  country  than  any  we  had  seen. 
Especially  was  this  the  case  near  a  little  village  called  Jifnah. 
It  needed  no  interpreter  to  tell  us  that  European  capital  and 
enterprise  were  here  at  work.  The  terraces  were  restored, 
waving  grain  adorned  the  valleys,  olive  and  fig  trees  were 
planted  upon  the  hill-sides,  and  the  vine  adorned  their  summits. 

THE    ROBBER'S  FOUNTAIN. 

From  this  we  passed  into  a  region  of  the  most  wild  and 
romantic  scenery.  Occasionally  the  remains  of  the  old  Roman 
road,  in  some  places  quite  perfect,  could  be  seen.  Along  this 
route  Titus  came  with  his  invading  army,  and  not  far  from  us 
was  pointed  out  a  place  where  he  made  one  of  his  encamp- 
ments. The  scenery  of  our  road  was  constantly  changing; 
sometimes  we  were  clambering  along  hill-sides,  among  limestone 
bowlders,  and  the  jagged  points  of  limestone  rocks,  and  again 
we  plunged  into  the  bottom  of  some  deep  glen,  making  our 
way  along  the  rocky  bed  of  some  winter  torrent.  Just  about 
dusk  one  of  these  wild  glens  expanded  a  little,  giving  a  few 
rods  of  breadth  to  the  valley,  and  the  trickling  waters  from 
the  rocks,  festooned  with  ferns  and  trailing  vines,  were  received 
into  artificial  basins  cut  in  the  bottom  of  the  ledge.  This 
*omantic  place  was  distinguished  by  the  suggestive  name  of 
"The  Robber's  Fountain."  The  name,  the  wildness  of  the 
place,  its  remoteness  from  human  habitation,  the  rocky  hills 
that  rose  up  around  us,  the  sombre  shades  of  the  evening,  the 
solemn  silence  that  brooded  over  the  scene,  all  conspired  to 
overawe  the  mind  with  an  instinctive  sense  of  fear,  though 
we  knew  there  was  little  or  nothing  to  dread  from  robber  bands. 
Refreshing  ourselves  and  horses  from  the  fountain,  on  we 
hastened,  for  it  was  now  nearly  dark,  and  we  had  four  or  five 
miles  of  this  gloomy,  almost  trackless  road  to  traverse  to 
reach  our  tents.  About  8  o'clock  we  reached  our  camp ;  the 
cook  soon  had  his  smoking  viands  on  the  table,  and  we  lay 


270 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


down  to  rest,  to  spend  our  first  night  of  "  tent  life  "  in  our  tour 
of  northern  Palestine. 

A   VISIT   TO  SHILOH. 

April  16th.  On  rising  this  morning,  we  found,  what  we 
could  not  see  as  we  came  in  last  evening,  that  our  camp  was 
on  a  high  hill  overlooking  one  of  the  most  beautiful  valleys  we 
had  yet  seen,  while  near  by  us  was  quite  a  large  Arab  village. 
We  have  many  places  of  interest  to  visit  to-day — Old  Shiloh, 
Jacob's  Well,  Shechem,  Ebal  and  Gerizim  are  all  in  the  pro- 
gramme,  and  we  must  lose  no  time.  To  reach  Shiloh,  now 
called  Seilun,  we  had  to  make  a  detour  of  about  one-half 
hour  from  our  main  road,  and  we  hired  an  extra  guide  from  the 
village  to  conduct  us  to  the  spot.  At  one  period  the  site  of 
Shiloh  seems  to  have  been  overlooked,  and  almost  forgotten, 
and  many  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Keby  Samuel  was 
the  place  where  the  ark  was  kept,  and  where  the  tribes  were 
accustomed  to  assemble.  The  researches  of  modern  travelers, 
and  the  accuracy  with  which  the  location  is  pointed  out  in 
scripture,  has  identified  the  spot,  I  believe,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
almost  every  one.  The  Bible  says  it  is  "on  the  north  side  of 
Bethel,  on  the  east  of  the  highway  that  goeth  up  from  Bethel 
to  Shechem,  and  on  the  south  of  Lebonah."  We  found  the 
place  an  utter  desolation — nothing  to  indicate  that  it  had  once 
been  the  center  of  worship,  and  the  great  rallying  place  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel.  A  valley,  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad, 
with  sloping  sides,  forms  the  main  feature.  Projecting  from 
the  ridge,  on  one  side  of  this,  is  a  round-topped  hillock,  present- 
ing from  one  point  of  view  the  appearance  of  a  small  hill 
standing  in  the  center  of  the  valley.  On  this  great  natural 
mound  was  no  doubt  the  sanctuary  of  God.  As  soon  as  the 
conquest  of  the  land  was  so  far  completed  as  to  allow  it  to  be 
done  in  safety,  the  Tabernacle  of  God,  with  the  sacred  ark, 
and  all  its  holy  furniture,  was  removed  from  Gilgal  to  this 
place,  and  here  it  stood  during  all  the  time  of  the  Judges  to 
the  days  of  Eli.  Upon  this  site  there  is  nothing  standing  but 
the  ruins  of  an  old  stone  building,  probably  first  erected  for  a 
Christian  church,  and  subsequently  converted  into  a  mosque. 


VISIT   TO    OLD  SHILOH. 


271 


Now  the  roof  has  disappeared,  and  the  walls  have  fallen  into 
heaps.  A  Moslem  tomb,  marking  the  resting  place  of  some 
modern  sheik,  has  been  erected  within  the  ruins,  and  this  is  all 
that  preserves  it  from  complete  demolition.  The  tall,  rank 
grass  was  waving  among  the  stones,  and  the  ground  had  been 
plowed  up  to  the  very  foundation  walls,  and  a  crop  of  barley 
was  rapidly  approaching  the  harvest. 

HOSTILITY    OP    THE  ARABS. 

We  led  our  horses  through  the  standing  grain,  and  placing 
them  in  charge  of  the  servants,  were  soon  wandering  about  the 
ruins.  We  had  been  upon  the  ground  but  a  few  minutes  when 
several  of  the  native  Arabs  made  their  appearance,  and  one  of 
them,  with  an  old  broad-sword  dangling  from  his  belt  and  a 
long  gun  in  his  hand,  running  up  to  us  in  hostile  attitude,  and 
apparently  in  great  rage,  ordered  us  off  the  ground.  One  of 
our  company,  more  belligerent  than  the  rest,  drew  his  revolver, 
and  gave  the  infuriated  son  of  Ishmael  to  understand  that  he 
was  ready  to  meet  him  on  his  own  terms.  This  only  seemed 
to  increase  his  rage,  and  he  raved  like  a  madman,  while,  as  if  by 
magic,  though  it  was  an  out  of  the  way  place,  near  a  dozen 
evil-looking,  swarthy-faced  fellows  suddenly  appeared  about 
the  place.  I  was  standing  near  the  tomb  of  the  sheik,  where  I 
had  been  gathering  some  flowers,  as  the  man,  gun  in  hand,  ap- 
proached me,  motioning  me  off.  It  is  said,  love  in  the  heart 
makes  rainbows  in  the  eyes;  and  now  I  felt  that  the  converse 
of  this  was  true,  for  malignity  in  the  heart  had  filled  his  eyes 
with  dancing  demons,  and  I  could  see  them  spitting  fire  from 
beneath  his  long,  dark  lashes.  I  was  unarmed,  but  did  not 
care,  for  I  knew  of  a  charm  that  would  exorcise  the  demoniacs 
quicker  and  more  effectually  than  brimstone  and  blue  pill.  I 
sent  a  searching  but  pleasant  glance  deep  into  his  flashing  eyes, 
motioned — for  I  could  not  speak  to  him  in  Arabic — that  I  only 
wanted  to  gather  a  few  flowers,  and  drawing  a  quarter  of  a  dol- 
lar from  my  pocket,  slipped  it  into  his  hand.  0  potent  power, 
to  bind  the  infuriated  passions !  There  is  a  music  in  the  sil- 
ver's clink  that  softens  and  calms  even  the  heart  of  the  un- 
tamed savage.    His  manner  towards  me  changed  in  an  instant, 


272  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

and  while  he  went  on  bullying  the  rest,  he  would  occasionally 
turn  and  give  me  a  complacent  look,  as  much  as  to  say,  u  Go 
where  you  please  and  take  what  you  want."  Our  dragoman 
interposed  to  preserve  order  between  the  natives  and  the  more 
rudely  disposed  of  our  party,  and  at  last  succeeded  in  prevent- 
ing a  quarrel.  There  is  no  doubt  but  these  natives  are  a  law- 
less, plundering  set,  but  we  had  intruded  upon  their  grounds, 
led  our  horses  through  their  standing  grain,  and  though  the 
crop  was  a  light  one  and  but  little  injured  by  the  intrusion, 
still  they  had  a  just  claim  upon  us,  and  a  few  pence  from  each 
one,  instead  of  meeting  them  by  force,  would  have  set  the 
matter  all  right.  A  party  who  followed  us  the  same  day  got 
into  an  open  rupture  with  them,  and  only  succeeded,  with  great 
difficulty,  in  making  their  escape  from  them  after  blows  had 
been  exchanged  on  both  sides.  But  do  not  let  these  uncivil, 
churlish  Arabs  divert  us  from  the  great  object  of  our  visit  here. 

THE    TABERNACLE    AT  SHILOH. 

This  place  was  for  more  than  three  hundred  years  the  center 
of  worship  for  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  here,  during  all  the  long 
period  of  the  Judges,  they  held  their  great  annual  festivals.  It 
is  no  common  ground  on  which  we  stand.  This  hill-top  and 
this  broad  valley  have  been  the  theater  of  many  an  interesting 
event.  That  wonderful  Tabernacle,  and  that  holy  Ark,  that 
were  built  at  the  base  of  Sinai,  and  carried  with  such  devout 
reverence  through  the  wilderness,  were  here  permanently  located 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  country.  It  was  at  this  place  the 
tribes  assembled  together,  when  the  land  under  Joshua  was  di- 
vided among  them.  Here  Hannah  of  old  brought  her  little  son, 
Samuel,  and  dedicated  him  to  the  service  of  God.  "For  this 
child,"  said  the  pious  mother,  "I  prayed,  and  the  Lord  hath 
given  me  my  petition.  Therefore,  also  I  have  lent  him  to  the 
Lord  as  long  as  he  liveth."  Here  that  child  of  prayer  grew  up 
amid  the  scenes  of  the  sanctuary,  to  honor  his  parents  and 
bless  his  country.  Here,  for  a  long  time,  Eli  was  high  priest. 
But  though  a  well-disposed  and  amiable  man,  he  appears  to 
have  been  negligent  and  inefficient  in  the  discharge  of  many 
of  his  duties.    His  two  sons  grew  up  in  iniquity,  unrestrained 


INCIDENTS    AT  SHILOH. 


278 


by  parental  authority,  and  the  Lord  signally  rebuked  his  neg- 
lect. The  armies  of  Israel  were  smitten  by  the  Philistines,  and 
they  said:  "It  is  because  we  have  not  the  Ark  of  God  with 
us."  They  sent  to  Shiloh,  and  contrary  to  all  precedent,  took 
the  Ark  of  God  from  its  place  in  the  Tabernacle,  placed  it  at 
the  head  of  their  army,  and  again  went  out  to  meet  their  ene- 
my. But  Israel  had  sinned,  and  God  was  not  with  them.  In 
?ain  do  we  have  the  symbols  of  his  presence  if  the  spirit  is  not 
with  us.  And  now  by  the  gate  of  this  city,  Eli,  still  anxious 
for  the  honor  of  Israel  and  the  safety  of  the  ark,  sat  waiting 
for  tidings  from  the  battle-field.  A  runner  approaches,  and 
cautiously  announces  the  result:  "Israel  is  smitten  before  the 
Philistines."  Heavy  news  for  the  man  of  God.  "There 
has  been  a  great  slaughter,  and  thirty  thousand  of  our  men 
have  perished."  Worse  and  worse.  "  Thy  two  sons,  Hophni 
and  Phineas,  are  slain."  Alas,  those  wicked  sons;  what  a  blow 
to  an  aged  parent's  heart;  but  still  the  old  man  could  bear  up 
under  it.  "And  the  Ark  of  God  is  taken  captive."  This  was 
the  heaviest  blow  of  all,  for  he  loved  the  ark  before  which  he 
had  so  often  sprinkled  the  blood  of  atonement.  When  he 
heard  this  he  fell  from  his  seat;  his  neck  was  broken,  and  life 
was  extinct.  So  vividly,  as  I  stood,  on  this  ground,  was  this 
tragic  scene  before  me,  I  almost  involuntarily  looked  about  me, 
wondering  if  the  place  where  this  old  servant  of  God  expired 
could  not  still  be  found.  That  Ark  never  returned  to  Shiloh ; 
Israel  ceased  to  gather  here,  and  the  place  was  eventually  for- 
saken. 

As  I  looked  down  upon  the  valley,  I  was  struck  with  the  ap- 
propriateness of  the  place  for  the  assembling  of  a  large  con- 
course of  people.  In  that  beautiful  valley,  and  along  those 
sloping  hill-sides,  thousands  upon  thousands  could  have  been 
congregated,  and  all  have  been  in  the  immediate  vicinity  and 
within  sight  of  the  Tabernacle  of  God.  This  valley,  during 
the  days  of  the  Judges,  was  made  the  scene  of  a  singular  ad- 
venture by  the  remnant  of  the  Benjaminites,  who  escaped  from 
the  frightful  massacre  with  which  their  brethren  had  been  vis- 
ited by  the  other  tribes  for  the  horrid  crime  perpetrated  at 
Gibeah.    Their  women  had  all  been  slain,  and  the  other  tribes 


* 


274 


THE   HOLY  LAND. 


had  all  bound  themselves  by  oath  they  would  not  give  them 
their  daughters  for  wives.  Knowing  the  maidens  of  Shiloh 
held  an  annual  festival  in  honor  of  the  ark,  by  the  connivance 
of  the  elders  of  Israel,  two  hundred  of  these  young  Benjamin- 
ites  hid  themselves  in  the  vineyards  upon  these  hill-sides,  and 
while  the  daughters  of  Shiloh  were  engaged  in  their  open-air 
festivities,  they  suddenly  sprang  upon  them  from  their  hiding 
places,  and  each  man  seized  upon  a  damsel,  and  bore  her  away 
as  his  future  wife. 

Leaving  Shiloh,  we  soon  reached  the  main  road,  a  troop  of 
the  impudent  natives  following  us  nearly  a  mile,  sometimes 
holding  on  to  our  bridle-reins,  clamoring  for  backsheesh.  A 
one-eyed,  ruffianly-looking  fellow  had  my  horse  by  the  head  full 
fifteen  minutes,  until  tired  of  his  importunities,  I  gave  him  a 
piaster,  when  the  insolent  vagabond  left  me. 

We  had  been  riding  among  the  steep  declivities  and  rocky 
passes  of  Benjamin;  we  were  now  emerging  into  the  more  fer- 
tile vales  of  Ephraim.  The  hills  became  more  sloping,  the  val  • 
leys  broader  and  more  fertile.  A  succession  of  hills  and  vales 
were  passed.  At  last  we  wound  our  weary  way  up  a  high 
ridge  of  land,  and  upon  reaching  the  summit,  what  a  view 
greeted  our  eyes!  Before  us,  stretched  away  for  many  miles, 
a  beautiful  valley,  teeming  with  luxuriant  crops ;  to  the  left  of 
it  peered  up  the  round-top  of  Gerizim,  and  just  beyond  it  the 
more  sullen-looking  brow  of  Ebal,  while  far  in  the  distance,  old 
Hermon  lifted  his  hoary  peaks  into  the  clouds,  covered  with 
huge  banks  of  snow  glistening  in  the  sunlight.  From  this  in- 
teresting hight  we  rapidly  descended,  wound  around  the  base 
of  Gerizim,  having  the  beautiful  "Valley  of  Cornfields"  upon 
our  right,  passed  Jacob's  Well,  which  we  will  not  stop  to  exam- 
ine now,  as  we  shall  return  to  it  again  when  we  have  more  leis- 
ure, and  about  4  o'clock  pitched  our  tents  under  some  old  olive 
trees  by  the  walls  of 

NABUL0TJS,    OR   OLD  SHECHEM. 

This  city  has  an  old  and  interesting  history,  reaching  back 
four  thousand  years.  In  the  striking  and  impressive  events 
connected  with  it,  it  holds  a  place  next  to  Jerusalem  and  the 


ABRAHAM'S  ALTAE. 


275 


plain  of  the  Jordan.  It  is  the  Shechera  of  the  Old  Testament, 
the  Sychar  of  the  New.  In  the  Roman  conquest  it  seems  to 
have  been  completely  destroyed,  but  was  re-built  by  Yespasian, 
and  called  Neapolis,  New  City,  which  in  Arabic  is  now  called 
fabulous,  usually  pronounced  Nab-loos.  Dr.  Barclay,  by  pre- 
vious arrangement,  again  met  u&  here,  having  came  from  Jalfa 
for  that  purpose.  We  are  to  spend  one  day  and  two  nights 
here,  and  shall  have  full  time  to  visit  all  the  interesting  locali- 
ties of  the  place.  Our  visit  completed  here,  a  part  of  the  com- 
pany are  to  go  with  the  Doctor  to  explore  the  ruins  of  old 
Csesarea  upon  the  sea-coast,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  the 
feasibility  of  establishing  a  settlement  there,  while  the  other 
part  of  our  company  will  proceed  to  Beirut,  by  the  way  of 
Mount  Carmel.  To-night  we  will  look  at  the  history  of  the 
place ;  to-morrow  we  will  make  an  excursion  about  the  city  and 
mountains. 

The  first  account  we  have  of  this  spot  is  in  connection  with 
Abraham's  entrance  into  the  land.  At  the  age  of  seventy-five  ' 
years,  in  obedience  to  the  call  of  Gocl,  he  left  Ur  first,  then 
Haran,  crossed  the  Jordan,  and  passed  through  the  land  " into 
the  place  of  Sichem"  the  Canaanite  being  then  in  the  land. 
Wherever  this  patriarch  went  he  took  his  religion  with  him. 
Here,  though  among  an  idolatrous  people,  he  built  an  altar 
unto  the  Lord,  and  here  God  promised  him  an  inheritance  in 
the  land.  Here,  then,  we  have  pitched  our  tent,  where  Abra- 
ham sojourned,  and  upon  the  very  ground  where  stood  the 
first  altar  that  Canaan  saw  consecrated  to  Jehovah  God! 

Jacob,  after  his  sojourn  in  Messopotamia,  returned  with  his 
numerous  family,  his  flocks  and  herds,  and  following  in  the 
steps  of  his  grandfather  Abraham,  came  to  Salem,  a  city  of 
Shechem,  there  pitched  his  tents,  and  bought  from  Hamor,  the 
father  of  Shechem,  the  piece  of  ground  of  which  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  speak  hereafter.  As  if  to  perpetuate  the  remem- 
brance of  this  visit  of  J acob,  on  the  slope  of  one  of  the  hills 
opposite  this  valley,  and  not  more  than  two  miles  distant,  is  a 
little  village,  now  called  Salim.  Here,  too,  in  imitation  of  his 
great  progenitor,  he  built  an  altar,  and  called  it  El-Elohe-Isra- 
el,  God  the  God  of  Istael.    But  this  place  was  not  only  early 


276 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


honored  with  the  altars  of  God,  here  the  earth  was  stained 
with  the  blood  of  revenge;  for  it  was  here  Simeon  and  Levi,  for 
the  wrong  done  their  sister,  treacherously  brought  the  men  of 
the  city  into  their  power,  and  slew  all  the  males,  including 
Hamor  and  Shechem  his  father,  with  the  edge  of  the  sword. 
Gen.  xxxiv.  Other  events  we  shall  have  occasion  to  describe 
as  we  take  our  walks  about  the  place. 

THE  SAMARITANS. 

"We  have  brought  letters  of  introduction  from  Dr.  Levishon 
and  Prof.  Krauss  of  Jerusalem  to  Mr.  Shellabar,  (I  am  not 
sure  I  have  the  name  right,  I  spell  it  as  pronounced,)  a  leading 
man  among  the  Samaritans;  and  as  we  have  time  this  evening 
to  go  into  the  city,  we  will  improve  the  opportunity  and  make 
arrangements  for  our  excursion  to-morrow.  We  found  Mr. 
Shellabar  a  kind-hearted,  intelligent  man,  and  able  to  converse 
fluently  in  English,  and  as  he  was  brought  up  in  this  city,  and 
•  is  well  posted  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  place,  we  consid- 
ered ourselves  peculiarly  fortunate  in  making  his  acquaintance. 
With  two  such  persons  with  us  as  Mr.  S.  and  Dr.  B.,  we  shall 
be  able  to  spend  our  time  here  to  the  best  advantage.  There  is 
a  remnant  of  the  old  Samaritan  stock  still  existing  here,  main- 
taining the  faith  and  forms  of  worship  handed  down  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  as  they  believe,  from  the  very  time  of 
Moses.  Among  these  Mr.  S.  was  born  and  bred.  They  believe 
as  firmly  as  in  the  days  of  the  Savior  that  in  this  mountain — 
Gerizim — men  ought  to  worship,  and  there  only  will  they  offer 
their  sacrifices.  They  have  a  priest,  who,  they  claim,  is  a  line- 
al descendant  of  Aaron,  and  they  assert  that  the  priesthood 
has  continued  in  an  unbroken  succession  among  them.  Their 
present  priest  is  quite  aged,  and  the  only  person  in  the  priestly 
line  that  can  succeed  him  is  a  nephew,  now  about  twenty  years 
old.  Their  scriptures  are  the  five  books  of  Moses  only.  Of 
these  they  have,  as  they  claim,  very  ancient  copies,  of  which 
we  have  spoken  in  connection  with  Dr.  Levishon's  labors  at 
Jerusalem,  and  of  which  we  shall  speak  again,  as  we  expect  to 
see  the  old  copy,  written,  they  say,  by  the  great  grandson  of 
Aaron.    They  adhere  strictly  to  the  Mosaic  law,  prohibiting 


THE    SAMAKITA  N  S. 


279 


any  alliance  with  other  sects,  and  never  marrying  out  of  the 
pale  of  their  own  society.  The  consequence  is,  they  are  con- 
stantly diminishing,  and  are  now  reduced,  all  told,  to  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty.  Mr.  S.  informed  us  that  they  had  sev- 
eral young  men,  who  were  living  single,  because  they  had  no  wives 
for  them!  They  live  by  themselves,  despised,  and  often  illy 
treated  by  their  Mohammedan  rulers.  A  fine  stone  structure 
in  the  city,  about  one  thousand  years  old,  was  formerly  their 
synagogue,  but  it  was  wrested  from  them  by  their  oppressors 
and  turned  into  a  mosque,  and  they  compelled  to  worship  in  a 
more  obscure  and  humble  place.  I  was  much  interested  in  this 
remnant  of  an  ancient  race,  and  these  representatives  of  an  an- 
cient religion,  for  I  was  not  aware,  until  I  mingled  with  them 
here,  that  they  had  kept  themselves  so  completely  separated 
from  all  foreign  alliances.  We  shall  learn  more  of  them*  to- 
morrow. 

ASCENT    OP  GERIZIM. 

April  17th.  Before  we  commence  our  walk  this  morning,  let 
us  endeavor  to  have  a  definite  idea  of  the  localities  of  the 
places  we  are  to  visit.  Referring  to  the  picture  of  Gerizim  and 
Ebal,  standing  in  the  foreground,  just  where  you  see  the  small 
figures  of  men  and  horses,  you  are  upon  the  beautiful  "  Plain 
of  Cornfields,"  along  the  left  side  of  which  we  came  as  we  ap- 
proached the  city.  The  round-topped  mountain  upon  the  left 
is  Gerizim,  the  "  Mount  of  Blessings ;"  the  bolder  and  rougher 
looking  one  upon  the  right  is  Ebal,  the  "Mount  of  Cursing" 
Just  at  the  opening  of  ttie  narrow  valley  that  separates  them  is 
Jacob's  Well,  and  a  short  distance  from  it,  partly  towards  Ebal, 
is  Joseph's  Tomb;  while  from  a  half  to  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
up  the  valley  is  Shechem,  or  Nabulous.  The  valley  between 
these  mountains  is  a  beautiful  one — a  fine  stream  of  water 
dashing  along  its  pebbly  bed,  fields  of  corn,  large  olive  trees, 
and  orchards  of  various  kinds  of  fruits,  while  the  town,  with 
its  gray  walls  and  numerous  domes,  lies  nestling  under  the  base 
of  Gerizim,  almost  concealed  by  the  tangled  growth  of  trees 
and  shrubbery  that  surrounds  it. 

We  left  the  city  and  took  a  circuitous  path  to  reach  the  sum- 


280 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


mit  of  Gerizim  by  as  gentle  an  ascent  as  possible.  At  the 
hight  of  about  two  hundred  feet  we  came  upon  a  conspicuous 
fountain  of  water,  sending  a  large,  refreshing  stream  down  to- 
wards the  city,  which  seemed  now  to  lie  almost  directly  be- 
neath our  feet.  Standing  thus  and  looking  down  upon  the 
domes  and  minarets  of  the  city,  one  can  readily  understand 
how  it  was  that  Jotham  could  stand  here,  and  make  his  taunt- 
ing speech  of  the  parable  of  the  trees  and  the  bramble,  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  city,  (Judges  ix.,)  and  then  make  his  escape 
before  the  men  of  the  city  could  reach  him. 

The  mountain  rises  about  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  plain. 
The  soil  is  rich  and  capable  of  cultivation  to  the  very  top.  As 
we  came  near  the  summit  Mr.  S.  pointed  out  to  us  a  small  spot 
of  ground  inclosed  by  a  low,  rude  stone  wall.  This,  he  in- 
formed us,  belonged  to  the  Samaritans,  having  been  purchased 
by  his  grandfather  for  their  exclusive  use.  Here  they  come  up 
three  times  a  year  to  worship  the  God  of  their  fathers.  The 
anniversary  of  the  Passover  is  their  great  annual  festival.  On 
this  occasion,  all  that  are  able  to  leave  their  homes,  men,  wo- 
men and  children,  make  a  pilgrimage  up  the  mount,  taking 
tents  with  them,  prepared  to  spend  a  night  upon  the  summit. 
On  this  piece  of  ground  they  encamp,  and  make  preparations 
for  the  solemn  feast.  Calling  our  attention  to  a  hollow  spot  in 
the  ground:  "Here,"  he  says,  "is  where  the  paschal  lambs 
are  slain.  Seven  men,  each  with  a  lamb,  arrange  themselves  in 
a  circle  around  these  stones;  the  priest  stands  upon  that  little 
eminence  yonder  and  watches  the  setting  sun.  The  seven  men 
have  their  victims  bound,  and  knives  raised  ready  to  let  fall  the 
blow.  The  moment  the  sun  disappears  below  the  horizon,  the 
word  is  given ;  the  knives  fall,  and  the  quivering  victims  are 
writhing  in  the  agonies  of  death."  Then  pointing  to  another 
similar  place,  "Here,"  he  says,  "is  the  place  where  the  flesh  is 
roasted  in  the  fire ;  and  here  is  where  the  bones,  and  what  re- 
mains after  the  feast  is  over,  are  burned."  These  last  .two  places 
had  the  remnants  of  the  fires  that  had  been  kindled  still  re- 
maining, and  on  raking  open  the  ashes  of  the  latter  place,  I 
found  the  remains  of  some  of  the  bones  of  the  last  sacrifice, 
partially  charred,  which  I  brought  away  with  me. 


* 

ASCENT    OF  6ERIZIM. 


281 


From  this  place  we  had  but  a  few  rods  to  go,  and  we  stood 
on  the  site  of  their  ancient  temple.  A  large  portion  of  the 
rock  has  been  graded  down,  and  is  as  level  as  a  house  floor,  but 
every  vestige  of  the  walls  has  disappeared.  This  spot  is  to 
the  Samaritan  what  Mount  Moriah  and  the  site  of  Solomon's 
Temple  is  to  the  Jew.  It  is  holy  ground,  and  he  takes  off  his. 
shoes  when  he  steps  upon  it.  They  claim  that  here  is  the  place 
that  Melchisedek  met  Abraham,  and  that  on  this  mount 
Abraham  offered  Isaac ;  and  here  our  guide  pointed  out  to  us 
twelve  stones,  which  they  believe  to  be  the  veritable  ones 
taken  by  command  of  Joshua  from  the  bed  of  the  Jordan, 
when  the  waters  were  divided  before  the  Ark  of  God!  and 
here  they  believe  the  ark  was  brought  and  the  tabernacle 
set  up. 

After  the  return  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  a  mongrel 
race  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  inhabited  this  portion  of  the  country. 
They  adopted  the  Pentateuch,  and  the  leading  features  of  the 
Jewish  faith,  but  the  Jews  rejected  them,  and  shut  them  from 
the  Temple  at  Jerusalem.  This  led  to  the  erection  of  a  Tem- 
ple on  Gerizim,  and  to  the  claim  set  up  by  them  that  it  was 
the  true  place  of  worship;  hence  the  long  and  obstinate  reli- 
gious feud  that  is  perpetuated  even  to  this  day.  This  Samari- 
tan Temple  upon  Gerizim  was  probably  built  about  four  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years  B.  C.;  when  it  was  finally  destroyed,  it 
is  difficult  now  to  tell.  Upon  the  top  of  the  mount  are  the  ruins 
of  an  immense  structure,  reaching  about  four  hundred  feet  in  one 
direction  and  two  hundred  in  another.  It  is  a  massive  piece  of 
work,  built  of  hewn  stone,  and  among  the  ruins  are  several  deep 
wells  and  cisterns.  Some  suppose  it  to  be  the  ruins  of  the  old 
Samaritan  Temple.  The  Samaritans,  however,  do  not  claim  it 
as  such,  and  most  writers  suppose  it  to  be  the  remains  of  an  old 
Eoman  fortress  built  by  Justinian.  The  view  from  the  top  of 
this  mountain  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  extensive  in  all 
Palestine.  Upon  the  west  are  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean, 
with  a  portion  of  the  Plain  of  Sharon  and  Jaffa  lying  upon  the 
sea  shore ;  on  the  east  you  look  down  into  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan ;  while  far  beyond  it,  the  view  is  bounded  by  the  great 
mountain  chain  stretching  far  away  from  north  to  south,  and 


282 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


rising  peak  over  peak ;  to  the  north,  old  Hermon  lifts  his  tow- 
ering form  high  into  the  heavens,  his  snow-capped  peaks 
wrapped  in  clouds  of  mist;  while  all  around  you  are  the  moun- 
tains of  Ephraim,  the  former  home  and  great  stronghold  of 
this  powerful  branch  of  the  house  of  Joseph.  "The  rich  plains 
and  valleys  are  seen  winding  like  a  green  net-work  among 
them,  waving  with  corn,  and  fat  with  the  olive  and  the  vine." 

THE   PLACE    OF   BLESSING   AND  CURSING. 

We  now  descended  part  way  down  the  mountain-side  toward 
Ebal,  to  get  a  view  of  the  probable  place  of  the  assembling  of 
the  tribes  under  Joshua,  to  pronounce  the  blessings  and  the 
curses  upon  Israel.  In  the  narrowest  portion  of  the  valley 
there  was  a  kind  of  projection  or  spur  upon  the  side  of  Gerizim, 
and  as  we  looked  across  there  seemed  to  be  a  corresponding 
one  upon  the  side  of  Ebal.  The  valley  here  is  not  more  than 
sixty  rods  broad.  Here,  we  almost  involuntarily  said,  must  be 
the  place  of  that  august  and  solemn  assemblage  !  This  meeting 
was  appointed  by  Moses  before  his  death,  and  particular  direc- 
tions given  how  it  should  be  conducted.  Here,  after  the  con- 
quest of  the  land,  Joshua  assembled  the  tribes;  six  of  them 
were  placed  on  this  side,  and  six  on  yonder  Ebal — these  to 
bless,  those  to  curse — the  vast  multitudes,  no  doubt,  covering 
the  mountain-sides  and  filling  the  plain  below.  Here  we  sat 
down,  took  out  our  bibles,  and  read  aloud  the  blessings  and  the 
curses  as  they  were  pronounced  on  that  solemn  occasion.  Deut. 
xxvii.  xxviii.  The  ark  of  the  covenant  was  here,  the  elders, 
and  officers,  and  judges  ranged  round  it — the  whole  nation  of 
Israel  were  here,  with  their  women  and  little  ones.  "  This  was," 
says  Thompson,  "beyond  question  or  comparison,  the  most 
august  assembly  the  sun  has  ever  shone  upon ;  and  I  never 
stand  in  the  narrow  plain,  with  Ebal  and  Gerizim  rising  on 
either  hand  to  the  sky,  without  involuntarily  recalling  and  re- 
producing the  scene.  I  have  shouted  to  hear  the  echo,  and 
then  fancied  how  it  must  have  been  when  the  loud-voiced  Le- 
vites  proclaimed  from  the  naked  cliffs  of  Ebal,  '  Cursed  be  the 
man  that  maketh  any  graven  image,  an  abomination  unto  Je- 
hovah.'   And  the  tremendous  Amen  !  tenfold  louder,  from  the 


AN    OLD  WELL. 


283 


mighty  congregation,  rising,  and  swelling,  and  re-echoing  from 
Ebal  to  Gerizim,  and  from  Gerizim  to  Ebal.  AMEN!  Even 
so  let  him  be  accursed.  No,  there  never  was  an  assembly  to 
compare  with  this."  Here,  also,  Joshua  set  up  pillars  of 
stone,  with  the  words  of  the  law  engraven  on  them.  From 
this  point  we  made  a  direct  and  rapid  descent  toward 

JACOB'S  WELL. 

Jacob's  Well!  What  traveler  through  Palestine  fails  to  visit 
it?  What  journalist  does  not  describe  it?  It  is  one  of  the 
ancient  landmarks ;  many  a  historic  association  clusters  around 
it.  Here  patriarchs  watered  their  flocks;  here  Jesus  rested 
and  refreshed  himself,  and  the  modern  traveler  sits  down  by  it, 
looks  inquiringly  into  its  deep,  dark  depths,  or  lets  down  his  cup 
and  line  for  a  draught  of  its  waters.  It  is  situated  just  at  the 
opening  of  the  valley,  between  Ebal  and  Gerizim ;  is  nine  feet 
in  diameter,  and  about  ninety  feet  deep — an  excavation  into  the 
solid  limestone  rock.  The  sides  are  hewn  smooth  and  regular. 
It  must  have  been  constructed  at  an  enormous  outlay  of  time 
and  labor.  An  excavation  about  fifteen  feet  square,  and  eight 
or  ten  deep,  has  been  made  about  the  mouth,  walled  up  and 
arched  over,  making  a  subterranean  vault  or  chamber  over  the 
mouth  of  the  well.  The  roof  of  this  vault  has  now  fallen  in, 
and  the  loose  stones  and  dirt  have  accummulated  about  the 
mouth  below,  and  the  natives  have  rolled  a  large  stone  over 
the  opening,  to  prevent  the  loose  material  from  falling  into 
the  well.  This  gave  the  well  formerly  two  mouths  or  open- 
ings, one  in  the  roof  of  the  arched  vault,  one  opening  from 
the  floor  of  the  vault  beneath.  It  is  this  circumstance,  I  pre- 
sume, that  has  given  rise  to  the  discrepancies  in  the  reports  of 
different  travelers,  as  to  the  depth  of  the  well,  some  measuring 
from  the  lower  mouth,  some  from  the  opening  in  the  vault 
above.    From  the  lower  mouth  it  is  seventy-five  feet  deep. 

We  let  down  a  line,  with  a  cup  attached,  and  drew  up  some 
of  the  water,  which  each  of  our  company  tasted.  The  well 
has  no  living  spring  or  fountain,  probably  never  had.  Mr.  S. 
informed  us  that  the  depth  of  water  varied  according  to  the 
season  of  the  year;  during  the  rainy  season  it  accummulates 


284 


THE   HOLY  LAND. 


to  the  depth  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  and  in  time  of  drought 
sometimes  entirely  disappears.  It  may  be  this  circumstance 
of  the  failure  of  the  water,  that  gave  an  intensity  of  meaning 
to  the  words  of  the  Savior  as  he  talked  with  the  woman  :  "  If 
thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that  said  to  thee, 
*give  me  to  drink,  thou  wouldst  have  asked  of  him,  and  he 
would  have  given  the  living  water."  John  iv.  10.  A  portion  , 
of  ground  about  the  well  has  formerly  been  inclosed  by  a 
stone  wall,  but  it  is  now  in  a  sadly  dilapidated  condition. 
Near  by  the  well  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  stone  church,  built  in 
the  times  of  the  Crusaders.  Among  the  ruins  I  noticed  two  or 
three  finely  wrought  granite  columns.  This  renowned  parcel 
of  ground,  bought  by  Jacob  of  the  children  of  Hamor,  near 
eighteen  hundred  years  before  Christ,  for  one  hundred  pieces 
of  money,  has  recently  been  sold  again,  Mr.  S.  informing  us 
that  he  assisted  in  the  negotiation.  It  has  been  bought  by 
the  Greeks,  who  paid  for  it  one  hundred  thousand  piasters. 
They  have  already  commenced  improving  the  grounds,  and 
are  inclosing  about  one-fourth  of  an  acre  with  a  heavy  stone 
wall,  with  a  view,  I  presume,  to  reconstructing  the  old  church, 
and  perhaps  adding  a  convent,  so  that  it  will  not  be  long 
before  from  the  spot  on  which  Jacob  built  his  altar,  where 
Samaritans  and  Mohammedans  have  worshiped,  the  songs  of 
Christian  praise  will  again  be  heard. 

This  well  was  to  me  one  of  the  deeply  interesting  places  of 
the  Holy  Land.  Here  we  were,  upon  the  great  road  along 
which  Jesus  "must  needs"  travel  in  his  journey  from  Jerusa- 
lem to  Galilee.  To  this  well  he  came,  and  weary  with  his 
journey*  on  its  open  mouth  he  sat.  To  yonder  city  his  dis- 
ciples went  to  buy  meat,  and  here  alone,  during  the  burning 
heat  of  the  day,  he  reposed.  Two  thousand  years  have  not 
changed  the  scenery,  while  the  customs  of  the  inhabitants,  in 
many  particulars,  remain  the  same.  Sitting  here  upon  this 
well,  you  may  still  see  the  women  passing  and  repassing,  with 
their  water-pots  upon  their  heads,  just  as  in  those  ancient 
times.  There,  right  before  us,  rises  the  mountain  summit  of 
Gerizim ;  here  are  the  Samaritans,  just  as  tenaciously  contend- 
ing with  the  J ews  about  the  place  of  worship,  as  they  did 


JACOBS  WELL. 


285 


when  the  woman,  standing  on  this  spot,  referred  the  great 
question  to  Jesus  :  "  Our  fathers  worshiped  in  this  mountain 
[G-erizim],  and  ye  say  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men 
ought  to  worship."  I  could  not  but  feel  that  this  well,  these 
mountians,  and  that  city,  were  so  many  monuments,  planted 
and  perpetuated  by  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God,  upon 
which  he  has  inscribed  the  evidences  of  his  own  truth.  Here 
men  come,  and  sit  and  read  the  instructive  lessons  of  Divine 
revelation,  and  all  the  surroundings  bring  vividly  to  mind  and 
witness  to  the  truth  of  the  story  of  Jesus  !  Here  it  was  Joshua 
was  commanded  to  set  up  pillars  of  stone,  and  inscribe  the 
law  of  God  upon  them,  that  Israel  might  know  his  command- 
ments. Here,  too,  a  greater  than  Israel's  leader,  our  own 
Joshua,  has  left  his  memorial  records,  designed  to  keep  fresh 
in  our  minds  the  remembrance  of  the  great  fountain  from 
which  we  must  draw  the  water  of  life. 

JOSEPH'S  TOMB. 

From  his  home  in  Hebron,  Joseph,  then  a  mere  lad,  came  to 
this  field,  seeking  his  brethren  as  they  led  their  flocks  among 
the  rich  pastures  of  this  valley.  A  man  found  him  wandering 
about  here  and  sent  him  to  Dothan,  whither  his  brethren  had 
gone.  What  befell  him  there,  at  the  hands  of  his  envious 
brothers,  all  well  know.  Had  that  lad  Joseph,  as  he  wandered 
about  these  grounds,  had  power  to  look  by  prophetic  ken 
down  the  long  vista  of  the  future,  what  strange  scenes  of 
history  would  have  passed  before  his  vision  ! 

Nearly  one  hundred  years  passed  away.  In  a  distant  land, 
in  a  princely  palace,  surrounded  by  the  wealth  and  splendor 
of  an  eastern  court,  as  prime  minister  of  one  of  the  most 
powerful  nations  of  earth,  he  lay  upon  his  dying  bed.  His 
children  and  kindred  gathered  around  him  to  close  his  eyes  in 
death.  "God,"  said  he  to  his  people,  "will  assuredly  visit 
you  and  bring  you  out  of  this  land  unto  the  land  which  he 
sware  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob."  There  and  then 
he  exacted  of  them  an  oath,  that  they  would  carry  up  his 
bones  with  them  when  they  went  out  of  Egypt.  Long  years 
passed  away,  strange  events  transpired,  and  his  descendants, 


286 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


led  by  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God,  reared  up  their  altars 
in  this  valley.  "  And  the  bones  of  Joseph,  which  the  children 
of  Israel  brought  up  out  of  Egypt,  buried  they  in  Shechem,  in 
a  parcel  of  ground  which  Jacob  bought  of  the  sons  of  Hamor 
the  father  of  Shechem,  for  an  hundred  pieces  of  silver." 
Josh.  xxiv.  32. 

Leaving  the  well,  we  passed  a  short  distance  across  the  plain 
toward  the  base  of  Ebal,  when  we  entered  a  little  square  area, 
inclosed  by  a  high  stone  wall,  neatly  whitewashed.  Across 
one  end  of  this  little  inclosnre  is  a  Moslem  tomb,  surmounted 
by  a  dome — the  Tomb  of  Joseph.  Samaritan  and  Jew,  Moslem 
and  Christian,  alike  revere  it,  and  honor  it  with  their  visits. 
We  paused  a  few  moments  in  the  interior,  musing  upon  the 
strange  vicissitudes  in  the  life  of  him  whose  dust  was  here 
moldering  under  the  shadow  of  Ebal  and  Gerizim.  The 
Tomb  of  Joseph  ! — the  dutiful  son — the  affectionate,  forgiving 
brother — the  virtuous  man — the  wise  prince  and  ruler !  Egypt 
felt  his  influence;  the  world  knows  his  history.  Thirty-five 
hundred  years  have  not  effaced  the  memory  of  his  integrity 
and  wisdom ;  his  holy,  useful  life  instructs  us,  travelers  from 
all  climes  come  and  meditate  in  the  shadow  of  his  monument, 
and  his  tomb  preaches  to  us !  I  plucked  a  few  leaves  and 
flowers  from  the  shrubs  and  vines  that  ornament  the  interior 
of  the  inclosure,  and  with  my  companions  turned  away  toward 
the  city. 

THE    OLD  MANUSCRIPT. 

We  have  before  spoken  of  the  old  manuscript  of  the  Samar- 
itan Pentateuch,  procured  from  this  people  by  Dr.  Levishon 
and  Prof.  Krauss  of  Jerusalem.  They  have  one  in  their  syna- 
gogue here,  for  which  they  claim  an  antiquity  quite  astound- 
ing. Nothing  but  a  liberal  backsheesh  can  overcome  the 
strong  reluctance  of  the  priest  to  exhibit  to  infidel  eyes  ttiis 
remarkable  document.  The  letter  we  had  brought  from  Jeru- 
salem paved  the  way,  and  a  gold  sovereign  overcame  all 
scruples.  Divested  of  our  shoes,  we  entered  their  little  syna- 
gogue sanctuary,  and  stood  before  their  altar.  A  richly 
wrought  curtain  concealed  a  recess,  from  which  the  young 
priest  brought  out  the  remarkable  document  and  set  it  upon 


SAMARITAN  PENTATEUCH. 


287 


the  table  before  us — the  five  books  of  Moses,  written  upon 
beautiful  parchment,  in  the  ancient  Samaritan  character, 
(these  Samaritans  say  the  character  used  by  Moses,)  done  up  in 
the  form  of  a  scroll,  now  kept  in  an  elegant  silver  case,  rolled 
in  an  antique  looking  cloth  of  blue,  purple  and  scarlet,  inter- 
woven with  threads  of  gold.  As  it  is  of  comparatively  recent 
date  that  these  manuscripts  have  been  known  to  the  world, 
and  exhibited  to  travelers,  there  has  as  yet  been  but  little 
opportunity  of  testing  their  claim  to  antiquity.  If  the  one 
now  in  possession  of  Dr.  L.,  at  Jerusalem,  was  written,  as  he 
believes,  while  the  first  temple  was  standing,  it  is  nothing  un- 
reasonable to  suppose  that  this  may  have  been  written  while  as 
yet  the  Hebrews  worshiped  in  the  old  Tabernacle.  Such 
antiquity  at  any  rate  they  claim  for  it.  The  transcriber's  im- 
print is  wrought  in  one  portion  of  the  scroll  into  the  text  in  the 
form  of  an  acrostic,  and  reads  :  "  Written  by  Abishua,  son  of 
Phineas,  son  of  Eleazar,  son  of  Aaron!"  Did  I  then  look 
upon  a  copy  of  the  Pentateuch,  transcribed  by  a  great  grand- 
son of  the  first  Hebrew  High  Priest !  The  stones  set  up  by 
Joshua,  inscribed  with  the  law,  perished  under  the  wasting 
influence  of  time  and  the  devastations  of  war,  and  are  known 
no  more.  Did  God  hide  away  these  copies  written  on  parch- 
ment, and  has  he  kept  them  secreted  from  the  world  for  more 
than  three  thousand  years,  that  in  the  fullness  of  time  they  may 
be  brought  from  their  obscurity  and  testify  to  the  antiquity  of  his 
revelation  ?  It  may  be  so.  Some  sincerely  believe  it.  Dr. 
Levishon's  fac-simile  of  the  one  in  his  possession  will  soon  be 
before  the  world,  and  scholars  will  have  an  opportunity  of  in- 
vestigating its  claims. 

Two  or  three  hours  of  the  evening  were  spent  looking  about 
the  city,  climbing  about  the  rugged  sides  of  Ebal,  and  recall- 
ing the  prominent  incidents  that  have  here  transpired.  We 
wondered  where  that  oak  stood  under  which  Jacob  buried  the 
ear-rings,  and  strange  gods  that  had  perverted  the  worship  of 
his  family !  We  recalled  that  solemn  assembly,  when  Joshua 
gathered  all  Israel  at  this  place,  and  gave  them  his  earnest 
dying  advice.  We  thought  on  the  strange  anomalies  existing 
here,  as  seen  in  the  oldest  and  yet  the  smallest  religious  sect 


238  THE    HOLY  LAND. 

in  the  world,  and  how  in  this  vale,  and  on  these  hills,  worship 
has  been  perpetuated,  almost  without  change,  from  the  days  of 
Abraham. 

THE    LEPERS    OF    S H E 0 H E M . 

April  18.  This  city  is  oue  of  the  principal  resorts  of  the 
lepers  that  still  infest  the  land,  and  among  whom  that  awful 
disease — a  type  of  sin  in  the  moral  constitution  of  man — is 
still  perpetuated.  Our  tent  was  pitched  under  the  shadow  of 
some  venerable  old  olive  trees,  that  must  have  seen  the  changes 
of  many  hundreds  of  years.  There  is  something  interesting 
in  the  olive ;  a  thousand  scriptural  associations  are  connected 
with  it.  The  morning  was  pleasant,  and  leaving  our  tent,  our 
breakfast  table  was  spread  in  the  open  air,  under  the  overhang- 
ing boughs  of  one  of  these  old  trees.  A  large  number  of  the 
lounging  villagers,  men,  women  and  children,  gathered  around 
us.  Among  the  rest  came  a  company  of  disgusting  looking 
lepers,  and  seated  themselves  upon  the  ground,  in  a  sort  of 
semi-circle,  only  a  few  feet  from  our  table.  Much  as  I  com- 
miserated their  sad  condition,  I  could  not  endure  the  sight  of 
them  so  near  me,  especially  at  meal  time,  and  I  asked  the 
dragoman ;to  send  thernaway.  This  he  did  with  considerable 
rudeness,  when,  retiring  to  a  more  respectful  distance,  they 
again  seated  themselves  in  the  same  manner.  Breakfast  over, 
knowing  they  had  come  to  beg,  and  feeling  a  sympathy  for 
them,  I  counted,  and  saw  fourteen  sitting  in  the  company,  side 
by  side.  A  lad  from  the  city  was  there  with  a  basket  full  of 
barley  loaves  for  sale.  I  bargained  with  him  for  a  quantity, 
and  taking  a  loaf  for  each,  went  up  to  them,  and  commenced 
the  distribution.  They  immediately  rose  and  clustered  close 
about  me,  eager  to  snatch  the  proffered  gift,  and  before  I  had 
fiuished  the  distribution,  their  number,  as  if  by  magic,  seemed 
to  be  doubled,  and  each,  as  he  got  his  loaf,  hid  it  under  his 
loose  garment,  and  stretched  out  his  hand  for  more.  I  saw  at 
once  I  had  a  larger  contract  than  I  had  bargained  for,  and 
that  when  I  undertook  to  feed  the  hungry,  it  was  the  people 
that  were  multiplied,  and  not  the  loaves;  so  I  made  a  hasty 
retreat  from  the  unpleasant  crowd.  < 


•j 


4 

\ 


TOMB    OF    ST.  JOHN 


291 


CHAPTER  X. 

From  G-erizim  and  Shechem  to  Nazareth — Old  Samaria — 
Jezreel — Mount  Tabor — Sea  of  Galilee. 

April  18th.  Leaving  Shechem,  our  road,  for  nearly  an  hour, 
lay  through  the  beautiful  Valley  of  fabulous.  A  fine  stream 
of  water  goes  dashing  along  its  pebbly  bed,  a  rare  and  cheerful 
sight  in  this  now  thirsty  land.  Not  far  from  the  city  we  passed 
the  remains  of  an  old  aqueduct,  probably  Roman  ;  several  fine 
stone  arches  still  standing.  We  also  passed  a  mill  for  grinding 
corn,  the  first  one  I  have  seen  in  this  country  turned  by  water. 
A  ride  of  two  and  a  half  hours,  over  a  road  far  better  than  any 
we  had  before  traveled,  brought  us  to  Samaria,  once  the  capital 
of  this  portion  of  the  country,  now  called  Sebaste  or  Sebustieh. 
As  we  traveled  northward  the  fertility  of  the  land  seemed  con- 
stantly increasing.  The  inhabitants  were  a  stout,  robust-look- 
ing race,  all  armed,  even  when  about  their  homes  and  most  or- 
dinary business.  Each  man  usually  carried  a  flint-lock  gun,  an 
old,  antique-looking  broad  sword  stuck  in  his  belt,  and  some- 
times pistols.  As  we  approached  Samaria,  there  was  a  beauti- 
ful diversity  of  hill  and  dale;  the  sloping  hill-sides  crowned 
with  verdure  to  the  very  summits. 

At  half-past  9  o'clock  we  reached  Samaria,  the  ancient  capi- 
tal of  this  portion  of  the  country,  now  called  Sebaste.  It  is  a 
miserable  Arab  village  of  about  sixty  houses,  and  is  all  that  now 
remains  to  mark  the  spot  where  a  large  city  once  stood,  and 
royalty  held  court  in  the  midst  of  beautiful  palaces  and  exten- 
sive colonnades.  Of  the  modern  village,  the  chief  attraction  to 
the  traveler  is  an  old  pile  of  ruins,  dating  back  to  the  days  of 
the  Crusaders,  known  as  the  Church  and  Tomb  of  St.  John. 

It  stands  upon  the  hill-side,  a  little  east  of  the  village,  and 


292 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


the  only  portion  of  it  in  a  sufficient  state  of  repair  to  be  used 
is  now  occupied  by  the  Moslem  inhabitants  as  a  mosque.  Be- 
neath the  ruins  of  this  old  church,  in  a  little  chamber  deeply 
cut  in  the  rock,  is  the  reputed  tomb  of  John  the  Baptist,  called 
by  the  Arabs  Neby  Yahya.  It  was  this  tomb  we  desired  most 
to  visit ;  and  apprised  beforehand  of  the  rude  character  of  the 
inhabitants,  Dr.  Barclay,  who  was  still  with  us,  had  procured 
a  firman  from  the  governor  of  fabulous,  whose  jurisdiction 
extends  to  this  place  also,  ordering  the  authorities  to  allow  us 
to  enter.  To  enforce  the  firman,  he  sent  with  us  two  armed 
soldiers  from  the  standing  guard  kept  at  the  former  city.  Some 
of  our  company  had  gone  on  in  advance,  and  apprised  of  our 
approach,  a  rude  rabble  of  citizens  gathered  around  the  church. 
The  keeper  of  the  place  demanded  an  exorbitant  backsheesh 
as  a  condition  of  opening  the  door.  This  we  refused  to  pay, 
knowing  it  was  a  lawless  act  in  them  to  attempt  to  obstruct  the 
order  of  the  governor  of  fabulous.  The  soldiers  coming  up, 
Dr.  B.  appealed  to  them  to  enforce  the  order,  and  open  the 
doors  for  us.  By  this  time  a  fierce-looking  set  had  gathered 
around,  armed  with  guns  and  cutlasses,  evidently  bent  on  mis- 
chief. They  set  us,  soldiers,  firman  and  all,  at  defiance,  and  de- 
manded the  backsheesh  as  the  only  terms  of  admittance.  The 
soldiers,  seeing  the  state  of  things,  refused  to  enforce  the  order ; 
and  after  looking  about  the  ruins,  we  left,  much  to  their  disap- 
pointment, for  they  had  evidently  calculated  we  would  pay  the 
backsheesh,  or  fight  our  way  through;  but  we  thought  best 
neither  to  encourage  their  insolent  demands,  nor  get  into  a 
quarrel  with  them.  For  one,  however,  I  confess  I  was  consid- 
erably disappointed ;  I  did  want  to  stand  by  the  tomb,  and  look 
upon  the  spot  where  moldered  the  remains  of  the  man  who 
preached  in  the  wilderness  of  Juclea,  baptized  Jesus  in  the  Jor- 
dan, who  dared  to  rebuke  a  wicked  king,  and  whose  head  alone 
could  appease  the  wrath  of  an  offended  paramour. 

THE    ANCIENT  CITY. 

We  rode  over  the  hill  to  get  a  view  of  the  location  of  the 
ancient  city,  and  some  of  the  ruins  that  still  remain.  The  ori- 
gin of  it  is  readily  told:    "In  the  thirty  and  first  year  of  Asa, 


SAMAKIA. 


293 


King  of  Judah,  began  Omri  to  reign  over  Israel  twelve  years ; 
six  years  reigned  he  in  Tirzab.  And  he  bought  the  hill  of  Sa- 
maria of  Shemer  for  two  talents  of  silver,  and  built  on  the  hill, 
and  called  the  name  of  the  city  which  he  built  after  the  name 
of  Shemer,  owner  of  the  hill,  Samaria."  1  Kings,  xvi.  23,  24. 
The  site  was  certainly  a  most  appropriate  and  picturesque  one. 
Here  is  a  beautiful  valley  about  five  miles  in  circumference, 
surrounded  by  lofty  hills  covered  with  vegetation.  In  the  very 
center  of  this  valle}T  is  a  flatish,  oval  hill,  upon  which  the  an- 
cient town  was  built — a  hill  within  an  amphitheatre  of  hills,  sur- 
rounded on  every  side  by  a  beautiful  valley.  "No  better  site," 
says  one,  "could  have  been  selected  for  a  capital,  in  all  the 
length  and  breadth  of  Palestine — a  strong  position,  rich  envi- 
rons, a  central  situation,  and  an  elevation  sufficient  to  catch, 
untainted,  the  cool,  healthy  breezes  from  the  sea." 

As  we  rode  around  the  brow  of  the  hill  we  passed  along  the 
rums  of  an  ancient  colonnade,  probably  belonging  to  the  days 
of  Herod.  There  were  two  rows  of  columns,  about  fifty  feet 
apart.  These  columns  were  sixteen  feet  high,  and  about  two 
feet  in  diameter;  some  of  them  are  still  standing,  and  the  whole 
highth  can  be  seen  above  ground ;  some  of  them  are  broken 
off  near  the  ground,  and  some  can  be  seen  lying  about,  scat- 
tered among  the  ruined  terraces.  This  remarkable  colonnade 
extended  about  three  thousand  feet,  and  in  one  part  of  it  some 
sixty  of  the  columns  can  yet  be  seen  standing.  Having  passed 
along  this  ancient  pathway,  marked  by  majestic  columns,  we 
left  our  horses,  climbed  over  the  stone  walls,  along  the  terraces, 
and  through  cultivated  fields  of  grain  and  olive  groves,  to  the 
top  of  the  hill.  Here  we  found  in  one  place  an  open  area,  once 
surrounded  with  columns,  fifteen  of  which  are  still  standing. 
On  the  northeast  side  of  the  hill  is  another  remarkable  cluster 
of  these  columns.  They  are  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  quad- 
rangle, and  the  space  inclosed,  one  hundred  and  ninety-six 
paces  loug,  has  been  leveled  by  the  hand  of  art.  Fifteen  whole 
columns  are  still  standing,  and  the  original  number  to  complete 
the  inclosure  must  have  been  one  hundred  and  seventy.  These, 
as  well  as  other  ruins,  attest  the  former  greatness  and  magnifi- 
cence of  the  city.    Around  this  hill  and  in  the  immediate  vi- 


294 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


cinity  of  this  ancient  city  have  transpired  some  of  the  interest- 
ing scenes  of  biblical  history.  Omri  died,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Ahab,  who  married  the  notorious  Jezebel,  daughter  of  the 
King  of  Sidon.  Instigated  by  his  idolatrous  wife,  he  built  here 
a  magnificent  temple  dedicated  to  Baal,  planted  a  grove,  and 
ran  into  the  wildest  excesses  of  heathen  abominations,  so  much 
so,  it  is  said,  he  "did  more  to  provoke  the  Lord  God  of  Israel 
to  anger  than  all  the  kings  of  Israel  that  were  before  him." 
Here  was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  striking  events  in  the  lives 
of  Elijah  and  Elisha.  The  King  of  Syria  was  at  war  with  Is- 
rael, and  he  was  astonished  and  perplexed  to  find  that  the  King 
of  Israel  was  acquainted  with  all  his  movements.  Suspecting 
he  had  a  traitor  in  his  camp,  he  called  a  council  and  made  the 
inquiry:  "Who  among  us  is  for  the  King  of  Israel?"  One 
of  his  servants  said :  "  None,  my  Lord,  0  King ;  but  Elisha  the 
Prophet  that  is  in  Israel  telleth  the  King  of  Israel  the  words 
that  thou  speakest  in  thy  bed-chamber."  Then  he  sent  horses 
and  chariots  and  a  great  host  to  take  that  prophet  of  the  Lord, 
and  bring  him  to  the  Syrian  camp.  And  they  came  to  Dothan 
where  Elisha  was,  and  encompassed  the  city.  When  Elisha' s 
servant  looked  out  upon  that  besieging  army  he  cried  out: 
"Alas,  master,  what  shall  we  do?"  "Fear  not,"  said  the 
prophet,  "  they  are  more  that  be  for  us  than  those  that  are 
against  us."  And  the  Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  that  servant, 
and  he  saw  the  "mountains  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire 
round  about  Elisha."  How  strangely,  and  with  what  power 
the  Lord  encamps  about  them  that  fear  him.  "  Lord,"  said 
Elisha,  "smite  these  men  with  blindness;"  and  immediately 
the  whole  multitude  were  groping  about  in  darkness.  "  Whom 
do  you  seek?"  said  Elisha,  as  he  approached  them.  "This  is 
not  the  way,  neither  is  this  the  city.  Follow  me,  and  I  will 
bring  you  to  the  man  you  want!"  And  he  led  them  into  the 
midst  of  this  very  city,  Samaria!  "Lord,"  said  Elisha  again, 
"  open  the  eyes  of  these  men."  What  was  their  astonishment 
to  find  themselves  prisoners  in  the  very  court  of  the  King  of 
Israel.  "  What  shall  I  do ? "  said  the  King  to  Elisha ;  "shall  I 
smite  them?"  "No.  Thou  shalt  not  smite  them.  Wouldst 
thou  smite  those  whom  thou  hast  taken  captive  with  thy 


SAMAKIA  DELIVERED. 


295 


sword?"  The  good  and  the  great  are  always  magnanimous. 
"  Feed  them,"  said  the  prophet,  and  let  them  go."  They  came 
to  their  master  with  the  strange  story  of  their  mission.  The 
King  of  Syria  was  at  an  utter  loss  to  know  how  to  carry  on  a 
warfare  with  such  an  enemy,  and  he  immediately  left  the 
country. 

That  plain  also  upon  which  we  look  down  from  this  hill,  was 
the  scene  of  two  unsuccessful  attempts  of  Benhadad  to  take 
Samaria.  The  first  time,  he  was  defeated  in  consequence  of  a 
drunken  frolic,  in  which  himself  and  chief  officers  were  en- 
gaged— not  the  only  or  last  time  a  battle  has  been  lost  through 
the  incapacity  of  drunken  officers.  Upon  another  occasion, 
that  same  king  closely  besieged  this  city,  and  the  inhabitants 
were  driven  to  the  utmost  extremity  by  famine.  The  king, 
clothed  in  sackcloth,  had  his  soul  wrought  up  to  the  most  in- 
tense degree  of  anguish,  by  the  appeal  of  one  of  the  mothers 
of  the  city.  "What  aileth  thee?"  said  the  king.  "This  wo- 
man said  unto  me :  Give  thy  son,  that  we  may  eat  liiin  to-day, 
and  we  will  eat  my  son  to-morrow."  The  first  part  of  this 
horrid  covenant  was  consummated  and  the  child  cooked  and 
eaten;  "and  now,"  continued  the  complaining  mother,  "she 
hath  hid  her  son."  In  the  midst  of  these  indescribable  horrors, 
Elisha  sat  in  his  house,  his  life  hunted  by  the  king,  and  when 
a  messenger  from  that  king  with  a  warrant  to  slay  him  stood 
in  his  presence,  the  prophet  met  him  fearlessly.  "  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  to-morrow  about  this  time  shall  a  measure  of  fine 
flour  be  sold  for  a  shekel,  and  two  measures  of  barley  for  a 
shekel  in  the  gate  of  Samaria."  The  story  is  too  long  to  nar- 
rate here.  But  that  night  the  Lord  filled  the  besieging  hosts 
of  the  Syrians  with  imaginary  dread,  and  they  fled, , leaving 
every  thing  behind  them.  All  their  immense  stores  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Samaritans,  and  the  words  of  the  prophet 
were  made  true.    2  Kings,  vii. 

It  was  to  this  city  ISTaaman  came  to  be  healed  of  his  leprosy. 
To  this  idolatrous  city,  in  less  than  one  year  after  the  Savior's 
death,  Philip  came  preaching  Christ,  and  here  was  organized 
the  first  Christian  church  out  of  Jerusalem.  Of  the  glory  of 
ancient  Samaria,  nothing  now  remains  but  heaps  of  stones  and 


296 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


mutilated  columns.  Where  once  costly  palaces  stood,  and 
mighty  kings  reigned,  the  half-civilized  fellah  builds  his  miser- 
able hovel;  while  along  these  valleys,  where  great  armies  en- 
camped, and  bloody  battles  were  fought,  the  wandering  Beda- 
win  leads  his  nocks  and  pitches  his  tent.  But  the  Handwriting 
of  G-od  is  here,  and  the  discerning  eye  of  the  traveler  cannot 
fail  to  read  it.  Recall  the  fearful  doom  pronounced  by  the 
prophet  Micah :  "  I  will  make  Samaria  as  an  heap  of  the  field 
and  as  plantings  of  a  vineyard;  and  I  will  pour  doicn  the  stones 
thereof  into  the  valley,  and  I  will  discover  the  foundations  thereof." 
Now  look  about  you  and  see  the  heaps  of  buried  ruins,  the 
vineyards  and  olive  trees  covering  the  site  of  ancient  temples 
and  palaces;  see  how  they  have  gathered  up  the  stones  from  the 
rich  soil  and  rolled  them  down  into  heaps  into  the  valley  below! 
Was  there  ever  a  more  exact  and  literal  fulfillment  of  a  pro- 
phetic declaration? 

Passing  down  the  hill,  and  through  the  village,  we  stopped 
to  talk  and  bargain  with  the  natives;  they  gathered  around  us, 
rude  and  boisterous,  picked  our  pockets  when  they  could  get  a 
chance — they  stole  from  me  two  pocket-handkerchiefs — and 
made  themselves  so  annoying  we  were  glad  to  take  our  depart- 
ure. From  Samaria  we  passed  over  a  fertile  portion  of  the 
country,  leaving  Dothan  a  little  to  the  right,  but  crossing  the 
rich  pasture  lands  where  the  sons  of  Jacob  led  their  flocks 
when  Joseph  followed  them,  and  where  they  consummated 
their  wicked  designs  for  his  ruin  by  first  casting  him  into  a  pit, 
and  afterwads  selling  him  to  the  Ishmaelites.  We  encamped 
for  the  night  at  Jenin,  the  ancient  En-gannim,  a  Levitical  city 
of  Issachar,  just  at  the  opening  of  the  great  plain  of  Esdrselon, 
and  on  the  northern  border  of  Samaria. 

THE    MOUNTAINS   OF  GILBOA. 

April  19th.  A  short  ride  over  the  plain  northward,  and  we 
were  winding  around  the  western  point  of  Gilboa.  As  we 
looked  out  over  the  naked  ridge,  the  defeat  of  Saul  and  Jona- 
than, and  the  pathetic  lament  of  David,  were  fresh  in  our  minds. 
Saul  was  encamped  at  the  base  of  these  mountains,  and  the 
multitude  of  Philistines  spread  themselves  over  the  plain.  Saul, 


DEATH    OF  SAUL. 


297 


the  night  before,  had  made  his  way  over  the  opposite  hills  of 
Hermon  to  consult  the  witch  of  Endor,  and  his  interview  with 
the  disturbed  spirit  of  Samuel  had  not  been  such  as  to  arouse 
any  hope  of  victory.  He  returned  disheartened  to  his  camp, 
conscious  that  some  terrible  calamity  was  impending.  As  he 
sat  that  night  in  the  midst  of  his  camp,  gloomy  and  dejected, 
the  poet  represents  him  as  pronouncing  his  own  doom: 

"My  kingdom  from  me  rent,  my  children  slain, 
My  army  lost,  myself  from  hope  cast  out — 
The  seer  hath  spoken  well.    All  is  achieved. 
David,  thou  art  avenged." 

In  the  morning  the  onset  was  made.  The  army  of  Israel 
was  driven  back  upon  these  mountains  of  Gilboa.  "  The  bat- 
tle went  sore  against  Saul,  and  the  archers  hit  him."  "Iam 
sore  wounded;  slay  me,"  said  he  to  his  armor-bearer,  "lest 
these  uncircumcised  come  and  thrust  me  through  and  abuse 
me."  But  he  would  not  lift  up  his  hand  against  the  Lord's 
anointed.  Then  Saul  took  a  sword  and  fell  upon  it.  The  next 
day  the  Philistines  found  Saul  and  his  three  sons  slain  in  Mount 
Gilboa. 

The  news  of  this  sad  event  was  brought  to  David,  who  was 
already  apprised  that  he  was  to  be  the  successor  in  the  honors 
of  the  kingdom.  He  had  no  feelings  of  malignity  to  be  grati- 
fied in  this  untimely  fate  of  one  who  had  treated  him  with 
base  cruelty  and  ingratitude,  while  to  Jonathan  his  heart  had 
been  bound  by  ties  of  love  and  friendship  such  as  earth  seldom 
knows.  His  lament  over  their  death  is  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  pathetic  ever  put  on  record.  The  magnanimity  and 
poetic  tenderness  of  his  nature  rose  superior  to  every  feeling  of 
revenge  or  ambitious  rivalry.  He  mourned,  wept  and  fasted 
for  Saul  and  Jonathan  his  son,  and  the  deep  emotions  of  his 
heart  found  vent  in  the  most  passionate  exclamations : 

"  The  beauty  of  Israel  is  slain  upon  thy  high  places ; 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen ! 

Tell  it  not  in  Gath,  publish  it  not  in  the  streets  of  Askalon, 
Lest  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines  rejoice, 
Lest  the  daughters  of  the  uncircumcised  triumph ; 
Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa,  let  there  be  no  dew, 


298 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Neither  let  there  be  rain  upon  you  nor  fields  of  offering ; 

For  there  the  shield  of  the  mighty  is  vilely  cast  away, 

The  shield  of  Saul  as  though  he  had  not  been  anointed  with  oil. 

How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in  the  midst  of  battle! 

O  Jonathan,  thou  wast  slain  in  thine  high  places! 

How  are  the  mighty  fallen  and  the  weapons  of  war  perished !  " 

RUINS    OF    ANCIENT  JEZREEL. 

After  reaching  the  base  of  Gilboa,  a  short  ride  brought  us  to 
Jezreel,  now  called  Zerin,  a  village  of  about  twenty  wretched 
looking  houses,  built  of  mud  and  stone.  It  is  upon  a  little  em- 
inence in  the  midst  of  the  plain,  commanding  an  extensive  and 
beautiful  view.  An  old  stone  tower  in  the  midst  of  the  village 
attracted  our  attention  as  the  most  imposing  object  in  the 
town.  Its  rooms  have  been  thrown  open  to  the  sheep  and 
goats,  and  they  have  herded  here  and  climbed  the  stone  stair- 
ways till  the  uppermost  rooms  are  filled  with  their  filth.  We 
succeeded,  by  dint  of  hard  climbing,  in  reaching  the  tower, 
where  we  remained  for  some  time  studying  the  localities  of  the 
various  strange  incidents  that  had  transpired  in  this  immediate 
vicinity.  Here  we  looked  out  over  the  great  Plain  of  Esdrselon, 
stretching  away  for  miles  in  beauty  and  fertility  towards  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  On  the  west  was  Carmel ;  on  the  north- 
west the  hills  of  Galilee,  among  the  quiet  vales  of  which  Jesus 
spent  his  boyhood. 

This  Plain  of  Esdrselon  is  one  of  the  great  battle-fields  of  the 
world.  Its  length  is  about  eighteen  miles,  its  breadth  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  miles.  It  is  the  ancient  "Plain  of  Megiddo," 
and  the  numerous  battles  fought  here  is  supposed  to  have  sug- 
gested to  the  Apostle  John  his  name  of  the  battle-ground  on 
which  the  last  great  conflict  between  the  hosts  of  good  and  evil 
shall  take  place.  He  saw  these  powers  gathered  against  each 
other  into  a  place,  called,  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  "Armageddon" 
that  is,  the  "  City  of  Megiddo" 

Looking  away  across  the  plain  towards  Carmel,  the  base  of 
which  is  washed  by  the  river  Kishon,  our  eye  rested  on  the 
battle-field,  where,  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago,  Debo- 
rah and  Barak  overcame  and  made  such  terrible  slaughter 
among  the  hosts  of  Sisera — the  event  that  gave  rise  to  the  sub- 


DEATH    OF  JEZEBEL. 


299 


lime  song  of  Deborah,  in  which  the  kings  of  Canaan  fought  by 
the  waters  of  Megiddo,  the  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against 
Sisera,  and  the  river  Kishon  swept  them  away.  Here,  too,  we 
looked  out  upon  the  field  where  Necho,  King  of  Egypt,  en- 
camped on  his  way  to  fight  against  Carchemish  by  Euphrates 
Josiah,  King  of  Judah,  rashly  came  up  here  and  pitched  battle 
with  him,  and  here  he  received  his  death  wound.  On  this 
plain  the  Crusaders  have  fought,  and  here,  in  still  later  times, 
Napoleon  came  to  meet,  in  deadly  strife,  the  Saracenic  foe. 

Now  let  us  turn  and  look  down  at  our  feet.  On  this  very 
ground  was  once  the  proud  capital  of  Samaria.  Where  these 
miserable  Arab  huts  now  stand,  the  place  was  once  adorned  by 
royal  palaces ;  and  here  was  the  court  of  that  wicked  woman 
J ezebel.  Here  was  the  vineyard  of  Naboth — it  appears  to  me 
it  would  be  easy  to  select  the  very  spot,  just  upon  the  plain 
there  that  opens  away  toward  the  Jordan,  and  near  the  walls 
of  the  city.  Jezebel's  conspiracy  against  Naboth,  his  cruel 
murder,  the  seizure  of  his  vineyard  by  the  king,  are  all  too 
well  known  to  need  rehearsal  here.  Jezebel  thought  that 
wealth  and  royalty  might  commit  crime  with  impunity ;  but  an 
omniscient  God  pronounced  sentence  against  her  by  the  mouth 
of  his  prophet :  "  The  dogs  shall  eat  Jezebel  by  the  wall  of  Jezreel  t3 
It  was  not  long  after  this  that  strange  things  were  transpiring 
about  this  city;  for  great  sins  will  provoke  terrible  judgments. 
There  stood  a  watchman  on  a  tower  in  Jezreel — I  almost  won- 
dered, as  I  read  the  account,  if  this  tower  on  which  we  stood 
was  not  the  very  one — he  saw  a  hostile  company  approaching 
the  city,  and  M  the  driving  was  like  the  driving  of  Jehu,  the 
son  of  Nimshi;  for  he  driveth  furiously."  And  Joram,  King 
of  Israel,  and  Ahaziah,  King  of  Judah,  went  out  in  haste  to 
meet  him.  u Is  it  peace,  Jehu?"  said  Joram.  "  What  peace,''* 
answered  Jehu,  "so  long  as  the  whoredoms  of  thy  mother 
Jezebel,  and  her  witchcrafts  are  so  many  ? "  This  cutting  re- 
buke was  followed  by  an  arrow  that  pierced  through  the  heart 
of  Joram,  and  they  threw  him  in  contempt  into  the  vineyard 
that  his  mother  had  obtained  by  the  murder  of  its  owner.  And 
now  the  avenger,  Jehu,  was  in  the  city.  "  Throw  her  down," 
said  he,  as  he  looked  up  and  saw  Jezebel  in  the  palace  window. 


300 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Dashed  upon  the  pavement,  her  blood  was  sprinkled  upon  the 
wall,  and  upon  the  horses,  and  they  trampled  her  under  foot; 
and  when  the  messengers  came  to  bury  her,  the  ravenous  dogs 
had  left  only  her  skull,  feet,  and  the  palms  of  her  hands !  We 
looked  down  upon  the  ground  that  witnessed  the  horrors  and 
drank  the  blood  of  this  awful  tragedy,  when  our  English 
friends  proposed,  in  view  of  the  contrast  between  their  good 
queen  Victoria  and  the  bloody  Jezebel,  we  should  sing  "  God 
save  the  Queen."  How  different  from  the  wail  of  that  dying 
woman,  were  the  strains  of  that  old  national  anthem,  as  they 
floated  away  upon  the  breeze ! 

Gideon's  wonderful  victory. 

A  few  minutes  more  and  we  had  started  down  the  valley, 
close  along  the  base  of  Gilboa,  to  visit  -the  fountain  of  Jezreel, 
where  Gideon  tried  his  army,  and  to  ride  over  the  field  where 
his  wonderful  victory  was  achieved.  The  fountain  is  only  a 
half  hour's  ride  from  Jezreel,  and  is  now  called  Ain  Jalud.  The 
water  flows  out  from  a  large  cavity  at  the  base  of  Gilboa ;  a 
wall  has  been  erected  to  confine  the  waters,  making  an  exten- 
sive pool,  I  should  think  two  to  three  hundred  feet  broad,  and 
twice  as  long;  from  this  it  flows  oft*  in  a  clear,  copious  stream, 
toward  the  Jordan.  It  was  just  here  that  Saul  was  encamped 
with  his  army  the  night  before  the  sad  defeat  that  terminated 
so  disastrously  to  himself  and  family.  But  if  this  has  been  the 
scene  of  a  melancholy  defeat,  so  has  it  also  been  of  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  victories  on  record.  It  was  in  the  days  of 
the  Judges,  three  thousand  years  ago.  The  enemies  of  Israel 
were  the  Midianites,  Amalekites,  and  the  children  of  the  East. 
They  crossed  the  Jordan,  came  up  this  valley,  "  with  their 
cattle  and  their  tents,  and  as  grasshoppers  for  multitude." 
Then  it  was  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Gideon. 
Assured  of  the  favor  of  God,  he  gathered  an  army  of  thirty- 
two  thousand  men  and  encamped  on  this  side  of  the  valley, 
while  the  hosts  of  the  invaders  lay  along  the  opposite  side. 
The  Lord  had  a  lesson  to  teach  Israel  of  dependence  and  trust 
on  him.  "  The  people  that  are  with  thee  are  too  many ;  who- 
soever is  afraid  let  him  depart."    That  simple  test  stripped 


THE    VICTORY    OF  FAITH. 


301 


Gideon  of  twenty-two  thousand  men,  and  he  had  but  ten 
thousand  left.  "  Bring  them  to  the  water,"  said  the  Lord,  and 
by  this  fountain  they  stood.  Another  test,  from  the  manner  in 
which  they  drank,  was  applied,  and  only  three  hundred  men 
remained  to  Gideon,  to  subdue  that  countless  host. 

Under  cover  of  night  he  stole  into  the  camp  of  the  Midiau- 
ites,  and  a  man  was  relating  to  his  fellow  how  he  saw  in  his 
dream  a  barley  loaf  tumbling  into  the  camp  of  Midian,  and  it 
smote  a  tent  and  overturned  it.  This  dream  was  to  Gideon  an 
omen  of  good.  Then  came  the  singular  stratagem  of  the 
pitchers,  the  trumpets,  and  the  lamps,  and  the  cry  that  carried 
consternation  through  all  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  :  "  The  sword 
of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon."  And  the  Midianites  turned  in 
their  consternation  and  fought  each  other.  The  result  was  a 
total  defeat,  and  they  were  driven  back  over  the  Jordan  with 
a  great  slaughter.  Judges  viii.  It  was  with  peculiar  interest 
I  drank  from  the  water  of  this  fountain,  and  rode  over  this 
wonderful  battle-field !  Thirty  centuries  have  passed  away 
since  it  happened,  but  it  still  has  its  lessons  of  faith  and  trust 
in  an  overruling  God.  Feeble  instrumentalities,  used  in  faith 
and  owned  of  God,  may  accomplish  the  most  wonderful  results. 

We  now  struck  directly  across  the  plain  of  Jezreel,  here  from 
four  to  five  miles  broad,  reaching  to  the  base  of  Little  Hermon. 
We  stopped  to  take  our  noonday  lunch  at  Shunem,  now  called 
Salem.  We  cannot  stop  to  rehearse  the  interesting  event  that 
here  transpired  in  connection  with  the  prophet  Elisha.  This  is 
the  place  where  "  a  great  woman  "  built  the  "  little  chamber 
on  the  wall,"  and  here  the  prophet  was  entertained  as  he 
passed  back  and  forth  in  his  missions  through  the  land.  Her 
hospitality  was  afterwards  rewarded  by  the  restoration  of  her 
little  son  to  life.    2  Kings,  iv. 

We  now  passed  around  the  western  point  of  Little  Hermon, 
and  caught  our  first  view  of  Mount  Tabor,  lifting  its  great 
oval  form  in  majesty  and  beauty  directly  from  the  plain.  One 
hour  from  Shunem  we  reached  Nam,  the  village  where  our 
Savior  met  the  funeral  procession  and  raised  the  widow's  son 
to  life.  From  this  we  turned  somewhat  aside  from  our  direct 
route,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  we  reached  Endor,  the  home  of 


302 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


the  witch  Saul  came  to  consult  the  night  before  his  death.  It 
is  now  a  village  of  some  twenty  miserable  houses,  perched  upon 
the  hill-side,  far  above  the  valley.  One  thing  that  struck  me, 
both  here  and  at  Nain,  were  the  numerous  caves  excavated  in 
the  rocky  hill-sides ;  they  have  a  wild  and  gloomy  look,  and  I 
wondered  if  some  of  them  were  not  the  very  ones  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  invasion  of  the  Midianites,  at  the  time 
of  Gideon's  battle,  when  the  terrified  Israelites  "  made  them- 
selves dens  which  are  in  the  mountains,  and  caves  and  strong- 
holds." If  witches  are  still  to  be  found,  I  should  certainly 
think  they  might  be  conjured  up  from  those  gloomy  looking 
abodes.  From  Endor  we  turned  back  to  our  direct  route, 
crossed  the  plain,  passing  a  short  distance  from  the  base  of 
Tabor,  climbed  over  a  rugged  ridge  of  hills,  and  at  6  o'clock, 
after  a  long,  laborious  day,  in  which  we  had  visited  many 
points  of  interest,  pitched  our  tents  in 

THE    CITY   OF  NAZARETH. 

April  20th.  Here  we  are,  in  the  old  home  of  Joseph  and 
Mary — the  city  where  Jesus  spent  his  early  life.  If  you  are 
disposed  to  ask,  like  one  of  old :  "  Can  any  good  thing  come 
out  of  Nazareth  ? "  to  the  old  question  I  would  return  the  old 
answer :  "  Come  and  see."  We  are  to  take  a  walk  in  the  city, 
and  the  memory  may  be  refreshed,  and  perhaps  faith  strength- 
ened, as  we  roam  over  the  places  where  the  Savior  lived,  walked, 
and  taught. 

We  have  taken  our  breakfast  under  the  shade  of  a  venerable 
olive  tree,  close  by  the  side  of  the  great  thoroughfare  that 
leads  from  the  city  to  a  fountain  near  by,  from  which  a  great 
portion  of  the  drinking  water  for  the  inhabitants  is  obtained. 
A  throng  of  women  are  continually  passing  and  repassing, 
with  their  waterpots  poised  upon  their  heads,  just  as  they  did 
when  Jesus  was  a  child  Along  this  very  path  he  has  walked 
again  and  again  with  his  mother,  as  she  went  to  fill  her 
pitcher;  indeed,  it  is  asserted  by  many,  that  it  was  at  that 
very  fountain  the  angel  met  her  and  made  the  strange  an- 
nouncement:  "Hail  thou,  that  art  highly  favored,  the  Lord  is 
with  thee;  blessed  art  thou  among  women."     Luke  i.  28. 


THE    HOUSE    OF  JOSEPH. 


303 


This  place  is  now  called  the  "Fountain  of  the  Virgin,"  and 
the  Greek  Christians  have  a  large  structure  near  it,  called  the 
"  Church  of  the  Annunciation." 

Nazareth,  as  we  may  learn  from  scripture,  is  built  upon  a 
hill.  Beneath  it  is  a  fertile  valley,  and  high  above,  covered 
with  foliage,  and  crowned  with  a  little  Moslem  mosque,  is  the 
bold  summit  of  the  eminence,  to  the  side  of  which  it  clings. 
It  has  a  population  of  about  four  thousand,  of  which  probably 
fifteen  hundred  are  Greeks.  The  others  are  Latin  Christians, 
Maronites  and  Mohammedans.  The  houses  are  of  stone,  sub- 
stantially built,  and  there  is  an  air  of  thrift,  enterprise  and 
manliness  about  the  town  we  had  not  seen  in  any  other  place 
since  we  left  Jerusalem.  We  first  visited  the  English  Mission 
School,  and  were  glad  to  find  it  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
Among  the  children  were  a  number  whose  parents  were 
murdered  in  the  recent  massacre  by  the  Druses. 

Next  we  turned  our  steps  to  the  Latin  Convent — a  neat  pile 
of  buildings,  inclosed  with  a  massive  stone  wall.  We  took  a 
hasty  walk  through  several  portions  of  the  building,  and  then 
entered  the  church — the  church  that  covers  the  ancient  home 
of  Joseph  and  Mary !  Service  was  being  performed,  and  the 
familiar  tones  of  the  organ,  and  other  accompaniments  of 
worship,  awakened  thoughts  of  Christian  lands.  W e  waited 
till  service  had  closed,  when  we  descended  from  the  main  room 
of  the  building  a  broad  flight  of  fifteen  stone  steps,  into  a 
grotto  in  the  hill-side.  In  a  portion  of  this  grotto  is  a  beauti- 
ful marble  altar,  beneath  it  a  marble  slab,  ornamented  with  a 
cross.  Here  the  Latins  say  the  Virgin  stood  during  the  An- 
nunciation !  The  whole  interior  of  this  sanctum  and  vestibule 
is  encased  with  marble,  ornamented  with  pictures,  and  hung 
with  costly  silver  lamps.  This  is  the  "  Holy  Grotto  "  of  Naza- 
reth. From  this  grotto  you  are  taken  back  into  still  deeper 
recesses,  where  the  cold,  rough,  rocky  walls  are  left  uncovered 
and  unadorned.  In  one  place  a  staircase  leads  to  the  "Virgin 
Mary's  Kitchen ! " 

From  the  convent  and  church  we  passed  on  up  the  hill  a 

short  distance,  and  were  taken  to  the  workshop  of  Joseph. 

This  is  also  now  transformed  by  the  Latins  into  a  chapel. 
18 


304 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Here,  they  said,  Jesus  was  accustomed  to  work  with  his  father. 
Then  we  were  taken  to  another  building,  said  to  be  the  syna- 
gogue in  which  Jesus  read  the  scriptures  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
This  is  now  owned  by  the  Greeks,  and  has  also  been  trans- 
formed into  a  Christian  Church.  It  was  from  this  synagogue 
that  Jesus  was  led  by  his  enraged  fellow  citizens  to  "the 
brow  of  the  hill  whereon  the  city  was  built,"  from  which  they 
intended  to  cast  him  down.  I  went  out  with  one  of  my  felkw 
travelers,  the  morning  we  left  here,  to  see  if  we  could  find  near 
by  any  precipitous  place,  -of  a  hight  sufficient  to  have  answered 
the  purpose  of  these  murderous  JSTazarenes.  The  monks  have 
located  this  place  about  two  miles  from  the  village,  upon  the 
brow  of  a  steep  precipice  overhanging  the  plain.  It  is  not 
likely,  however,  the  place  was  so  far  from  the  town.  Just  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  town,  a  short  distance  above  where  our 
tents  were  pitched,  we  found  a  steep  declivity  that  would 
answer  all  the  requisitions  of  the  scripture  narrative. 

Having  visited  the  principal  places  of  interest  in  the  city, 
we  climbed  the  lofty  hill  in  the  rear  of  the  town,  to  enjoy  the 
extensive  prospect  that  may  there  be  had  of  the  surrounding 
country.  This  view  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  all  Pales- 
tine. To  say  nothing  of  the  picturesque  hills  and  valleys  just 
about  you,  the  bold  summit  of  Tabor,  the  snowy  peaks  of 
Hermon,  the  long,  dark  ridge  of  Carmel,  the  great  plain  of 
Esdrselon,  and  the  distant  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  are  all 
in  view.  But  from  these  sublime  prospects  my  own  thoughts 
were  continually  reverting  to  the  events  that  had  transpired 
just  at  my  feet.  How  I  wished  that  we  could  know  something 
more  of  the  boyhood  of  the  Savior !  Here  was  the  home  of 
his  youth  ;  over  these  hills,  and  about  these  valleys,  he  wander- 
ed. Here  he  was  obedient  to  the  authority  of  his*  parents. 
From  this  place,  when  but  twelve  years  old,  his  parents  took 
him  up  to  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  where  he  astonished  the 
learned  doctors  by  the  wisdom  of  his  questions  and  answers. 
Here  he  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favor  with 
God  and  man.  Here  his  mother  marked  these  wonderful 
events  and  developments,  and  "  pondered  them  in  her  heart." 
Here  be  was  known  only  as  the  son  of  a  carpenter,  and  here 


A    SACRED  MOUNTAIN. 


305 


his  brethren  and  kindred  lived !  What  a  strange  life  was  that 
of  Jesus !  At  the  age  of  thirty,  from  the  obscurity  of  this  vale 
of  Nazareth,  he  burst  like  a  meteor's  light  upon  the  world. 
His  career  was  a  brief  and  humble  one,  confined  to  a  small 
extent  of  territory,  yet  he  kindled  a  light  that  is  enveloping 
the  world  in  glory !  "We  wonder  at  the  strange  things  he 
wrougnt ;  but  the  rise,  spread  and  power  of  his  religion  is  a 
standing  miracle,  the  greatest  wonder  of  them  all ! 

MOUNT  TABOR. 

At  11  o'clock  our  visit  to  Nazareth  was  completed,  and  we 
were  on  our  way  to  visit  Tiberias  and  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  In 
a  little  less  than  two  hours  we  reached  the  base  of  Tabor.  We 
had  passed  near  it  and  had  a  fine  view  of  it  on  our  way  to 
Nazareth,  as  we  crossed  a  portion  of  the  great  plain  from 
which  it  rises.  Now  our  road  lay  directly  across  its  northern 
base,  and  on  this  route  the  traveler  generally  takes  the  oppor- 
tunity of  ascending  its  summit.  It  projects  from  the  south- 
eastern formation  of  the  hills  of  Galilee.  It  is  a  grand  and 
imposing  object,  an  isolated  mountain,  between  four  and  five 
miles  in  circumference  at  the  base,  rising  like  a  great  round- 
topped  sugar  loaf,  1,350  feet  high ;  standing  in  lone  and 
solemn  grandeur,  upon  the  great  plain  of  Esdrselon,  which 
forms  its  base.  The  ascent  of  this  mountain  is  by  a  circuitous 
path,  and  occupies  about  one  hour.  It  is  richly  adorned  with 
verdure — oak  trees,  and  various  kinds  of  shrubbery,  covering 
the  top,  while  the  sides  are  adorned  with  a  great  variety  of 
beautiful  flowers.  On  the  summit  are  found  piles  of  old  ruins, 
the  remnants  of  towns  and  fortifications  that  have  existed 
here  from  the  days  of  Joshua  down  to  the  devastations  of  the 
crusades,  and  from  their  day  to  this. 

The  great  beauty,  and  singular  position  and  formation  of 
Mount  Tabor,  would  immortalize  it,  and,  together  with  the 
fine  view  from  its  summit,  attract  many  travelers  to  it.  But  it 
has  other  attractions.  It  is  one  of  the  sacred  mountains  of 
the  Bible,  and  standing  upon  it,  we  see  around  us,  and  beneath 
us,  the  theatre  of  great  and  instructive  events.  It  was  at  this 
mount,  while  the  Canaanites  were  oppressing  Israel,  that  Debo- 


306 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


rah,  by  the  direction  of  the  Almighty,  gathered  ten  thousand 
men  under  the  command  of  Barak.  Along  the  base  of  Carmel, 
by  yonder  Kishon,  lay  Jabin's  army,  an  immense  multitude, 
with  nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron,  under  the  command  of 
Sisera.  At  the  given  signal  Barak  descended  from  Mt.  Taboi, 
and  Sisera,  with  all  his  hosts,  was  smitten  with  the  edge  of 
the  sword.  This  signal  triumph  was  celebrated  by  a  song  of 
Deborah,  the  prophetess,  renowned  for  its  beauty  and  sublimity. 
J udges  v. 

But  not  merely  in  ancient  wars  has  this  place  been  celebrated. 
Bonaparte  himself  visited  Mount  Tabor,  and  added  another  to 
the  baptisms  of  blood  this  hill  and  plain  have  received.  On  this 
broad  plain  beneath  our  feet,  a  little  more  than  fifty  years  ago, 
an  immense  Turkish  army  of  fifteen  thousand  infantry  and 
twelve  thousand  cavalry  was  drawn  up  in  battle  array.  Kleber 
marched  out  from  Nazareth,  about  five  miles  distant,  with  three 
thousand  men,  and  at  once  engaged  in  bloody  strife  with  this 
twenty -seven  thousand!  We  cannot  stop  to  describe  the  particu- 
lars of  the  bloody  scene.  Six  dreadful  hours  Kleber  and  his 
handful  of  men  fought  against  this  fearful  odds,  piling  around 
them  heaps  on  heaps  of  slain.  At  this  critical  juncture, 
Napoleon  is  seen  wheeling  down  from  Tabor  with  another 
division  of  his  men.  The  Turks  were  driven  down  upon  the 
Jordan,  where  Murat  charged  upon  them  with  his  cavalry,  and 
decided  the  fate  of  the  day. 

And  yet  Tabor  is  not  alone  a  mount  of  blood.  It  has  wit- 
nessed other  scenes  that  may  well  redeem  it  from  these  stains 
of  human  carnage.  It  has  been  gory  from  the  blood  of  thous- 
ands slain ;  it  has  been  covered  with  glory  from  the  presence 
and  communion  of  heavenly  visitants.  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God, 
"  took  Peter,  and  James,  and  John,  and  went  up  into  a  high 
mountain  apart,"  and  Tabor  was  witness  of  a  scene  in  which 
heaven  and  earth  had  a  deeper  interest  than  all  other  events 
that  cluster  about  this  sacred  mount.  While  He  was  praying, 
the  fashion  of  his  countenance  was  altered,  and  his  raiment 
became  white  and  glistering;  and  there  appeared  Moses  and 
Elijah  from  Heaven,  talking  with  him.  Moses  was  the  great 
lawgiver  of  Israel ;  Elijah  was  the  chief  of  all  the  prophets. 


THE    MOUNT    OF  BEATITUDES. 


307 


Their  mission  was  now  accomplished.  In  Christ,  their  great 
successor,  the  prophecies  centered,  in  him  the  law  was  fulfilled. 
Now  they  came  as  the  representatives  of  types,  shadows,  and 
prophetic  predictions,  to  lay  down  their  mission  at  the  feet  of 
Uim  who  was  greater  than  them  all !  The  wondering  disciples 
were  overawed  by  the  radiant  glory  of  their  master  and  the 
presence  of  the  heavenly  visitants — a  cloud  overshadowed  them, 
and  they  feared  as  they  entered  into  it,  but  there  they  caught 
such  glimpses  of  the  heavenly  glory  and  angelic  company  they 
said,  "  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here." 

We  were  now  passing  through  the  rich  portion  of  coun- 
try formerly  occupied  by  Zebulon.  We  cannot  detain  the 
reader  by  any  definite  descriptions  of  this  part  of  Galilee. 
Our  road  wound  through  fertile  vales,  and  along  rocky  hills. 
From  Tabor  to  Tiberias  is  a  ride  of  about  five  hours.  Wind- 
ing down  a  steep  rocky  ridge,  we  came  upon  an  old,  dilapi- 
dated town,  now  called  Kefr  Kenna,  supposed  by  many  to  be 
the  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  Christ's  first  miracle — turning  the 
water  into  wine — was  performed.  The  Greeks  have  a  little 
church  and  convent  here,  built,  of  course,  on  the  site  of  the 
house  where  the  marriage  was  performed !  A  priest,  in  a 
Greek  cap  and  long  black  robe,  made  his  appearance  at  the 
gate,  and  offered — for  a  backsheesh  of  course — to  show  us  some 
of  the  veritable  water-pots  used  on  that  memorable  occasion ! 

As  we  passed  on  we  rode  over  miles  of  rich  pasture  grounds, 
where  not  a  house  or  inhabitant  was  to  be  seen,  the  rank  grass 
growing  to  our  horses'  knees.  Over  these  immense  tracts  the 
wild  Bedawin  roams,  and  occasionally  a  cluster  of  his  low,  black 
tents  may  be  seen.  As  we  approached  the  sea  of  Galilee  we 
were  passing  a  broad  table-land  of  gentle  undulations,  and  a 
little  distance  to  our  left  rose  up  a  saddle-shaped  hill,  known  as 
the  "  Horns  of  Hattin."  That  mount  is  pointed  out  as  the 
traditional  place  where  our  Lord  delivered  his  sermon — the 
Mount  of  Beatitudes.  It  was  a  convenient  and  beautiful  place 
for  the  assembling  of  the  multitude,  and  I  could  not  but  picture 
in  my  imagination  the  scene,  when  the  thousands  gathered 
upon  its  green  slopes,  overawed  by  the  majesty,  and  impressed 
with  the  authority  of  their  strange  and  wonderful  preacher. 


308 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


As  we  passed  on  we  were  riding  over  another  celebrated  bal 
tie-field.  In  July,  1187,  the  King  of  Jerusalem  assembled  the 
flower  of  the  Christian  army  on  this  great  plateau.  A  number 
of  circumstances  conspired  to  arouse  the  animosity,  always 
strong  between  Moslems  and  Christians.  Saladin  with  his  Mo- 
hammedan hordes  came  up  in  immense  numbers  from  the 
northern  part  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  The  Christian  army  was 
overpowered;  a  terrible  slaughter  ensued;  the  victory  was  a 
decisive  one,  and  Saladin  was  master  of  the  land — it  was  the 
end  of  the  Crusaders'  power  in  Palestine. 

On  we  rode,  gradually  ascending  to  the  ridge  of  the  lofty 
hills  that  overlook  the  sea.  The  summit  was  gained — all  at 
once  the  coveted  sight  burst  upon  our  view,  and  we  looked 
down  the  steep  slope  upon  the  blue  waters  as  they  lay  in  calm- 
ness and  beauty,  in  their  deep  basin  of  hills,  nearly  a  thousand 
feet  beneath  us.  We  reigned  in  our  horses,  swung  our  hats  in 
the  air,  and  cheered  for  joy ! 

The  descent  was  rapid,  in  some  places  the  path  so  steep, 
rocky  and  difficult,  we  dismounted  and  made  our  way  on  foot. 
The  sun  was  dipping  his  disk  below  the  western  horizon,  as  we 
passed  the  ruined  gateway  of  the  old,  dilapidated  wall,  and 
pitched  our  tents  in  the  ancient  city  of  Tiberias,  a  few  rods 
from  the  shore  of  the  sea.  It  was  Saturday  night,  and  we  had 
made  our  arrangements  to  spend  the  Sabbath  in  this  interesting 
locality.  We  lost  no  time  in  making  preparations  to  make  our 
stay  as  instructive  and  useful  as  possible.  On  these  waters, 
where  once  so  many  fishermen  plied  their  craft,  but  one  solita- 
ry boat  is  now  found !  We  immediately  dispatched  our  drago- 
man to  make  arrangements  with  the  old  Druse  who  owned  it, 
to  have  it  in  readiness  for  us.  We  found  it  was  at  the  foot  of 
the  lake,  and  it  would  take  a  half  day  to  have  it  brought  up. 
This  would  answer,  as  we  wished  for  it  on  Monday  morning  to 
make  an  excursion  to  the  head  of  the  lake. 

THE   CITY  OP  TIBERIAS. 

This  is  an  old  Roman  town,  and  though  lying  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  most  interesting  portions  of  the  Savior's 
ministry,  is  not  mentioned  by  him,  nor  have  we  any  account 


IIP 


OLD  TIBERIAS. 


311 


of  its  ever  having  been  visited  by  him,  probably  from  the  fact 
that  it  was  principally  occupied  by  foreigners.  It  appears  to 
have  been  built  subsequent  to  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  probably 
in  the  days  of  his  preaching  had  not  attained  much  distinction. 
The  Rabbins  say  it  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  city,  Rak- 
keth,  mentioned  in  Joshua.  This  new  city  subsequently  be- 
came the  capital  of  the  province  of  Galilee.  After  the  Jews 
were  driven  from  Jerusalem  they  made  this  their  headquarters; 
the  Sanhedrim  was  removed  here ;  here  dwelt  many  of  their 
most  eminent  Rabbis,  and  their  tombs  are  still  shown  in  the 
hill-side  back  of  the  town.  Among  these  were  the  celebrated 
Maimonides,  and  Jochannan,  author  of  the  Gemara,  or  Jerusa- 
lem Talmud. 

The  modern  town  is  a  wretched,  dilapidated  looking  place, 
containing  about  two  thousand  inhabitants,  eight  hundred  of 
whom,  it  is  said,  are  Jews ;  the  others,  Druses  and  Mohammed- 
ans. In  1837  the  place  was  nearly  destroyed  by  an  earth- 
quake. Up  to  this  time  it  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  stone 
wall.  In  this  calamity  many  of  the  houses  were  destroyed, 
great  seams  were  left  in  the  walls,  and  in  some  places  they 
were  so  prostrated  a  horse  could  be  rode  over  them,  and  no  at- 
tempt has  been  made  to  rebuild  them.  The  walls  and  houses 
are  built  of  a  black,  volcanic  stone,  giving  the  place  a  dark  and 
gloomy  appearance.  The  inhabitants  are  poor,  the  streets  nar- 
row and  filthy,  and  lying  as  it  does  in  a  deep  basin,  six  hun- 
dred feet  below  the  Mediterranean,  the  sun  pours  upon  them 
his  scorching  rays,  giving  them  almost  a  tropical  climate.  The 
filth  of  the  city  affords  a  capital  breeding  place  for  vermin,  and 
I  was  impressed  with  the  fact,  mentioned  by  so  many  travelers, 
that  the  king  of  fleas  holds  his  court  in  Tiberias. 

On  Sunday  morning  the  most  of  our  company  went  out  to 
perform  their  ablutions  in  the  warm  baths  near  the  town. 
They  are  situated  upon  the  sea-shore,  only  about  fifteen  min- 
utes' walk  from  the  walls.  The  level  strip  of  ground  along  the 
shore  was  once  covered  by  the  old  town,  and  portions  of  ruined 
walls  and  fragments  of  columns  are  strewn  all  along  the  way. 
The  bath-house  is  a  neat  little  structure,  built  from  the  ruins  of 
the  old  town.    In  the  center  of  the  main  room  is  a  large  mar- 


312 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


'  ble  reservoir,  capable  of  swimming  from  twenty  to  thirty  per- 
sons at  a  time.  Into  this  is  constantly  pouring  a  copious  stream 
that  gushes  from  the  hill-side.  This  water  has  a  temperature 
of  144°  Fahr.,  so  warm  that  when  one  first  plunges  the  hand 
into  it,  it  feels  burning  hot.  It  is  extremely  salt  and  bitter,  and 
emits  a  strong  sulphurous  smell.  These  baths  are  considered 
efficacious  in  rheumatic  complaints,  cutaneous  eruptions,  and 
various  other  diseases.  They  are  very  much  resorted  to  by  the 
natives,  and  we  found  around  them,  like  the  Pool  of  Bethesda 
in  the  days  of  the  Savior,  a  great  multitude  of  impotent  folks. 
I  looked  upon  the  great  smoking  bath-tub,  upon  the  imbecile 
multitude  that  were  coming  and  going,  and  turned  away  to 
make  my  bath  in  the  pure,  sweet  waters  of  the  lake,  leaving 
my  companions  to  boil  themselves  in  the  polluted  waters,  with 
the  diseased  multitude,  till  they  were  satisfied. 

A   SUNDAY   AT  GALILEE. 

Breakfast  was  over,  and  we  had  a  Sabbath  day  to  spend 
about  the  shores  of  this  beautiful  lake,  hallowed  by  so  many 
interesting  incidents  in  the  life  of  the  Savior.  There  were  no 
Christian  temples  here,  no  assemblies  of  saints  to  invite  us  to 
devotion ;  yet  what  Christian  could  look  upon  this  amphitheatre 
of  hills,  and  not  feel  that  here  was  a  glorious  temple  for  wor- 
ship ?  Who  could  listen  to  the  murmur  of  these  waters,  and 
not  feel  the  kindlings  of  devout  and  enthusiastic  aspirations? 

This  sea  was  one  of  the  favorite  resorts  of  the  Savior,  and 
on  its  shores  he  made  his  home.  It  was  by  these  waters  he 
walked,  in  the  early  part  of  his  ministry,  when  he  saw  Andrew 
and  Peter  casting  their  nets  into  the  sea,  and  that  strange  call 
fell  upon  their  ears:  " Follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers 
of  men!"  It  was  on  the  slope  of  these  beautiful  hills  Jesus 
came  and  sat  down,  and  the  lame,  blind,  dumb  and  maimed  were 
laid  at  his  feet,  and  felt  his  healing  power,  and  the  astonished 
multitude  glorified  God!  It  was  on  the  opposite  banks  of  this 
sea  he  had  compassion  on  the  famishing  multitude,  and  multi- 
plied the  loaves  and  the  fishes,  till  the  assembled  thousands 
were  satisfied !  It  was  down  that  steep  bank  that  is  now  with- 
in our  sight  the  crazy  herd  of  swine,  under  the  influence  of  the 


A    SEASON    OF  WORSHIP. 


313 


evil  spirits  that  had  been  cast  out  of  the  Gadarene,  plunged 
into  the  sea!  It  was  on  these  waters  Jesus  slept,  while  the 
frail  bark  that  bore  him  and  his  disciples  was  endangered  by 
the  fury  of  the  tempest;  when  the  terrified  disciples  aroused 
him  from  his  slumbers:  "Lord,  save  us,  we  perish;"  and  here 
it  was  he  arose,  rebuked  their  lack  of  faith,  and  in  the  calm 
majesty  of  Omnipotent  power,  laid  his  hand  upon  the  furious 
elements,  and  hushed  them  to  peace !  And,  again,  it  was  on 
these  waters,  in  the  lone  hour  of  night,  tossed  by  the  waves  and 
driven  out  of  their  course  by  contrary  winds,  the  disciples  were 
astonished  by  the  sudden  and  miraculous  appearance  of  their 
Lord,  walking  upon  the  water  and  saying :  "  Be  of  good 
cheer;  it  is  I;  be  not  afraid."  It  was  on  these  shores  the  lone 
and  afflicted  disciples,  after  the  crucifixion,  pressed  for  the  ne- 
cessities of  life,  gathered  together  and  betook  themselves  to 
their  old  occupation ;  and  it  was  while  here  engaged  that  their 
risen  master  appeared  standing  upon  the  shore>  and  attested 
his  presence  and  character  by  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes ! 
What  numerous  associations  conspire  to  embalm  this  lake  in 
the  memory  of  the  Christian ! 

At  11  o'clock,  by  previous  agreement,  our  little  company  as- 
sembled in  an  upper  room  of  one  of  the  old  deserted  watch- 
towers  of  the  wall  that  overlooked  the  sea,  for  a  season  of  social 
worship.  Each  one  selected  a  portion  of  Scripture  narrating 
some  incident  in  the  life  or  teachings  of  the  Savior  connected 
with  these  waters ;  these  were  read  in  turn,  intermingled  with 
prayer  and  singing.  With  what  deep  interest  we  read  these 
narratives,  and  with  what  life  and  power  they  seemed  invested, 
as  we  looked  out  upon  the  localities  where  they  transpired. 
As  our  eyes  rested  upon  the  sloping  hills,  covered  with  verdure, 
where  the  multitudes  gathered  about  Jesus,  one  read  the  ac- 
count of  the  feeding  of  that  multitude  with  the  few  loaves  and 
fishes ;  as  we  looked  across  the  sea  upon  the  hills  of  Gadara, 
another  read  the  account  of  the  healing  of  the  man  possessed 
with  devils,  and  the  destruction  of  the  swine;  then  we  looked 
down  upon  the  placid  waters  of  the  sea,  while  another  read  the 
story  of  Peter,  as  Christ  came  by  night  walking  on  the  water. 
Thus  we  spent  the  hours  of  worship,  feeling  that  we  were 


314 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


nearer  than  ever  to  Him  whose  words  and  deeds  transcend  all 
human  wisdom  and  power. 

As  the  shades  of  evening  gathered  over  the  land,  I  wandered 
along  the  shore,  and  climbed  upon  the  hills  to  muse, -alone, 
upon  the  strange  events  that  had  embalmed  this  sea  and  its 
surroundings  in  the  memory  and  affections  of  the  believer.  I 
remembered  how  the  Savior,  after  that  day  of  toil  in  which  he 
had  taught  and  fed  the  multitudes,  sent  them  away,  and  then 
departed  by  himself  into  a  mountain  alone  to  pray,  continuing 
nearly  all  night  in  this  blessed  communion  with  holy  beings. 
Here  i  was  in  the  midst  of  that  very  scenery,  where 

"  Cold  mountain  vapors  and  the  midnight  air 
Witnessed  the  fervor  of  his  prayer." 

What  a  hallowed  place  !  As  the  shades  of  night  deepened 
upon  me,  I  tarried  still,  for  I  felt  more  than  ever  that  it  was 
blessed,  in  the  midst  of  these  hallowed  associations,  to  shed  the 
penitential  tear,  to  cast  my  soul  upon  that  Savior,  and  plead  the 
promises  of  Him  who,  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  disturbed  the 
calm  stillness  of  the  night,  and  woke  these  mountain  echoes 
with  his  voice  of  prayer. 

CHORAZIN,    BETHSAIDA   AND  CAPERNAUM. 

Monday,  April  22d.  At  6  o'clock  we  were  afloat  upon  the 
waters  for  an  excursion  to  the  head  of  the  sea,  to  visit  the  site 
of  the  old  cities  that  existed  here  in  the  days  of  the  Savior. 
The  boat,  as  we  have  said,  was  the  only  one  upon  the  sea ;  it 
was  a  miserable  old  worn-out  thing,  large  enough  to  hold  fif- 
teen to  twenty  persons,  and  so  leaky  it  kept  one  person  con- 
stantly bailing.  It  had  a  small,  movable  mast,  with  an  old 
lateen  sail,  but  as  there  was  no  wind,  we  had  to  depend  upon 
the  oars  alone.  Of  these  there  was  but  one  pair,  worked  by  a 
couple  of  indolent  fellows,  who  moved  as  if  the  amount  of  their 
wages  depended  upon  the  length  of  time  to  which  they  could 
protract  the  voyage.  The  owner  of  the  boat,  a  tall,  dignified 
looking  old  Druse,  his  head  adorned  with  the  great  white  tur- 
ban that  distinguishes  his  sect,  accompanied  us  as  steersman. 


ON   THE    SEA    OF  GALILEE. 


315 


For  this  outfit  to  take  us  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  about  six 
miles  and  back,  we  paid  about  eight  dollars  and  a  half. 

The  Sea  of  Galilee,  or  Lake  of  Tiberias,  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of 
clear,  sweet  water,  of  an  irregular  oval  shape,  broadest  towards 
the  north  end.  It  is  not  over  fourteen,  some  say  not  more 
than  twelve  miles  long,  and  between  eight  and  nine  broad  in 
the  broadest  part.  The  depth  in  some  places  exceeds  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  It  lies  embosomed  in  lofty  hills,  the 
rich,  sloping  sides  of  which  are  covered  with  vegetation.  It 
still  abounds  in  fish,  but  the  fishermen  have  mostly  disappeared 
from  its  shores.  I  saw  no  person  while  I  was  there  engaged  in 
this  employment.  As  the  Christian  feels  that  almost  every  spot 
upon  these  shores  is  "  holy  ground,"  so  he  feels  that  these  are 
consecrated  waters.  With  what  vividness  those  scenes  in  the 
life  of  the  Savior  came  home  to  us,  as  we  rode  over  the  waters 
upon  which  Jesus  walked,  and  whose  tumultuous  waves  he 
hushed  to  peace. 

"  Graceful  around  thee  the  mountains  meet, 
Thou  calm,  reposing  sea; 
But  ah !  far  more,  the  beautiful  feet 
Of  Jesus  walked  o'er  thee." 

We  inquired  of  the  old  helmsman  if  he  had  ever  been  out  in 
storms  on  this  sea.  u Yes,  often."  "Are  they  dangerous?" 
said  I.  "Very,"  said  he.  "I  have  been  a  sailor,  and  would 
rather  be  on  the  ocean  in  a  storm  than  here."  "  Why  ? "  said  I. 
"  The  wind  comes  suddenly  whirling  down  over  these  hills,  and 
blows  every  way,  and  the  waves  roll  in  every  direction."  "And 
what  do  you  do  at  such  times?"  said  I.  "Hold  on  the  helm 
and  let  the  boat  run  which  way  it  will,"  said  he.  How  much, 
thought  I,  like  the  condition  of  the  disciples  on  that  stormy 
night,. when  Jesus  so  miraculously  came  to  them:  "The  ship 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  tossed  with  waves,  for  the  winds  were 
contrary."    Mat.  xiv.  24. 

As  we  neared  our  destination,  we  could  see  upon  the  western 
shore  the  Plain  of  Genesaret — a  beautiful  and  fertile  tract — 
while  in  one  place,  nestling  close  under  the  hill-side,  a  few  Arab 
huts  mark  the  site  of  Magdala,  the  supposed  home  of  the  Mary, 


316  THE    HOLY    LAND.  I 

who  so  gratefully  acknowledged  the  healing  power  of  the  Sa- 
vior. Between  10  and  11  o'clock  we  landed  near  the  ruins  of 
Tell  Hum,  the  supposed  site  of  ancient  Capernaum. 

We  made  our  way  through  the  tall,  rank  weeds,  that  here 
every  where  cover  the  soil,  and  soon  reached  the  spot.  Not  a 
single  huilding  is  now  left  standing.  Piles  of  great  hewn  stone 
lie  scattered  about;  the  massive  foundations  of  ruined  struc- 
tures can  still  be  seen;  while  the  shafts  of  ancient  columns,  and 
beautiful  marble  capitals  of  fine  Corinthian  sculpture,  are  min- 
gled with  the  ruins  and  half-buried  in  the  earth.  The  tangled 
thicket  of  enormous  weeds  and  thistles  grow  high  over  them 
all,  and  nearly  conceal  them  from  sight.  No  road  passes  near 
them,  seldom  does  human  foot  visit  them,  and  the  wild  Arab 
has  such  a  superstitious  dread  of  the  place,  he  turns  aside  and 
refuses  to  walk  over  the  place !  Yet  here  was  once  a  populous 
city,  and  about  it  one  of  the  most  populous  portions  of  the 
land,  while  near  by  were  many  other  cities  and  towns. 

To  this  place,  when  Jesus'  own  kindred  had  expelled  him 
from  Nazareth,  he  came;  in  Capernaum  he  dwelt,  and  it  was 
called  "  his  own  city."  Here  in  the  synagogue  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  teach,  and  in  that  synagogue  he  healed  the,  demoniac 
that  cried  out  against  him.  Here  he  entered  Peter's  house,  and 
found,  his  mother-in-law  sick  of  a  fever,  and  immediately  re- 
stored her  to  health.  Here  he  healed  the  paralytic  man  whose 
friends  tore  up  the  roof  of  the  house,  that  they  might  let  him 
down  into  his  presence;  here  he  cured  the  centurion's  servant, 
and  raised  J  aim's  daughter  from  the  dead.  From  here  he  sent 
his  disciples  down  to  the  sea  to  take  a  fish  from  the  water,  in  the 
mouth  of  which  they  found  the  tribute  money.  In  Capernaum 
he  often  preached,  and  how  many  and  how  instructive  the  les- 
sons that  fell  from  his  lips!  Near  by  was  Chorazin  and  Beth- 
saida,  and  it  was  in  these  cities  and  this  vicinity  that  "m.ost  of 
his  mighty  works  were  done"  Alas,  how  changed — how  fallen — 
how  ruined !  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  more  gloomy  desola- 
tion and  utter  ruin  than  has  settled  clown  upon  these  places.  I 
inquired  for  the  site  of  Chorazin  and  Bethsaida,  and  none 
could  tell  me  where  they  stood !  I  climbed  upon  the  fragment 
of  a  broken  column,  and  looked  inquiringly  about  me.  Was 


THE    DOOM    OF  CHORAZO. 


317 


this  beautiful  shore  once  ornamented  with  populous  cities? 
Where  now  this  oppressive  silence  reigns,  was  there  once  heard 
the  hum  of  multitudes  of  voices,  and  the  tumult  of  gathering 
crowds?  Why  then  has  this  utter  ruin  and  desolation  settled 
down  upon  the  land?  I  opened*my  Bible,  and  the  mystery  was 
solved.  "Then  began  He  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein  most 
of  his  mighty  works  were  done,  because  they  repented  not.  Wo 
unto  thee,  Chorazin !  wo  unto  thee,  Bethsaida!  for  if  the 
mighty  works  which  have  been  done  in  thee  had  been  done  in 
Tyre  and  Sidon,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sack- 
cloth and  ashes.  But  I  say  unto  you,  it  shall  be  more  tolerable 
for  Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  day  of  judgment  than  for  you.  And 
thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt  be  brought 
down  to  hell;  for  if  the  mighty  works  which  have  been  done  in 
thee  had  been  done  in  Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  until 
this  day."  And  is  this  the  spot  upon  which  the  fearful  doom 
has  fallen  ? 

"  Tell  me,  ye  moldering  fragments,  tell, 
Was  the  Savior's  city  here? 
Lifted  to  heaven,  has  it  sank  to  hell, 
"With  none  to  shed  a  tear  ? 

How  literally  and  remarkably  the  words  of  the  Savior  have 
been  fulfilled !  How,  upon  these  extinct  and  ruined  cities, 
these  depopulated  plains,  he  has  written  with  his  own  hand  the 
impressive  lessons  of  his  overruling  providence,  his  certain 
and  terrible  judgments! 

Our  visit  among  these  ruins  over,  we  made  all  haste  back  to 
Tiberias,  for  our  tents  and  baggage  had  gone  on  to  Nazareth, 
and  we  must  return  there  before  we  slept.  At  2  o'clock  our 
excursion  was  over.  We  waited  for  one  more  bath  in  the  clear, 
refreshing  waters,  when,  mounting  our  horses,  we  were  soon 
upon  the  lofty  summit  of  the  hill,  from  which  we  turned,  and 
took  our  last  farewell  view  of  its  tranquil  waters.  The  words 
of  M'Cheyne  we  could  adopt  as  our  own : 

"How  pleasant  to  me  thy  deep  blue  wave, 
O  sea  of  Galilee, 
For  the  glorious  One  who  came  to  save, 
Have  often  stood  by  thee. 


318 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Fair  are  the  lakes  in  the  land  I  love, 

Where  pine  and  heather  grow; 
But  thou  hast  loveliness  above 

"What  nature  can  bestow." 

It  was  nearly  an  hour  after  dark  when  we  reached  our  tents 
at  Nazareth,  weary  with  our  long,  laborious  day's  labor,  but 
gratified  that  we  had  been  able  to  visit  so  many  places  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  life  and  labors  of  Jesus.  To-mor- 
row we  are  to  leave  Nazareth,  and  continue  our  excursion  by 
Mount  Oarmel  and  the  scene  of  Elijah's  sacrifice  to  the  shore 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 


Mount  Carmel. 


APPROACH   TO    CAR  MEL. 


821 


CHAPTER  XI. 

From  Nazareth  to  Beirut — Mount  Carmel — Tyre — Sidon — 
Conclusion  of  our  Tour  in  Palestine. 

April  23d.  By  7  o'clock  our  breakfast  was  over  and  we  were 
in  our  saddles,  ready  to  bid  farewell  to  the  pleasant  vale  of  Naza- 
reth. It  is,  indeed,  a  retired,  quiet  and  beautiful  place — a  fit 
retreat  it  must  have  been  for  the  "  holy  family,"  who,  on  their 
return  from  Egypt,  still  feared  the  murderous  anger  of  the  suc- 
cessor of  that  Herod  who  had  filled  Ramah  with  weeping  and 
lamentation.  We  climbed  the  long,  rugged  range  of  hills  that 
separates  this  beautiful  valley  from  Esdrselon,  and  were  soon 
passing  over  that  extensive  plain. 

About  11  o'clock  we  reached  the  base  of  Carmel,  another  of 
the  sacred  mountains  of  Scripture,  and  intimately  connected 
with  the  history  of  the  prophet  Elijah.  Carmel  is  not  a  single 
round-topped  peak,  rising  in  lone  majesty  like  Tabor,  but  a 
long  ridge  branching  off  from  the  northern  end  of  the  moun 
tains  of  Samaria.  It  runs  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  and 
terminates  in  a  bold,  high  bluff',  the  projecting  top  <*f  which 
overhangs,  and  the  huge  base  of  which  is  washed  by  the  waters 
of  the  Mediterranean.  This  ridge  is  about  eighteen  miles  in 
length,  its  breadth  about  five  miles,  while  it  rises  nearly  two 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Well,  says  one,  does  it  deserve 
its  name,  "  The  Park,"  or  «  The  Fruitful  Field  ? "  "  Its  wooded 
hights  and  picturesque  green  dells,  descending  on  one  side  into 
the  rich  plains  of  Akka,  and  on  the  other  to  the  beautiful  vale 
of  Sharon,  present  some  of  the  most  beautiful  and  park-like 
scenery  in  Palestine."  The  "  excellency  of  Carmel "  is  put  by 
Isaiah  by  the  side  of  the  glory  of  Lebanon,  and  the  withering 


322 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


of  its  foliage,  and  the  shaking  off  of  its  fruits,  is  made  a  type 
of  national  desolation. 

ELIJAH'S  SACRIFICE. 

The  place  where  we  approached  the  mountain  was  near  the 
soene  of  that  striking  event  in  the  life  of  Elijah,  that  brought 
apostate  Israel  back  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the  living 
God.  1  Kings  xviii.  Tradition  points  out  the  very  spot  where 
the  altar  was  erected  and  the  strange  events  transpired,  and 
the  tradition  seems  to  be  well  sustained.  It  is  called  El  Mura- 
kah,  "  the  Sacrifice."  Our  company,  wishing  to  visit  the  spot, 
hired  an  extra  guide  from  one  of  the  small  Arab  villages  of  the 
plain.  Fatigued' by  the  heat  and  labor  of  the  previous  day,  I 
did  not  feel  able  to  endure  the  extra  toil  of  ascending  the 
mountain,  and  so  contented  myself  with  riding  on  with  the 
baggage  train  the  nearest  way  to  the  place  of  our  encampment 
for  the  night. 

The  mountain  is  covered  with  a  forest  of  short  scrubby  oaks, 
and  a  dense  undergrowth  of  hawthorn,  myrtle  and  acacia.  A 
vast  variety  of  wild  flowers  are  scattered  along  its  sides,  and 
fragrant  herbs  perfume  the  air.  Along  its  base  flows  the 
waters  of  the  Kishon,  mentioned  in  Judges  in  connection  with 
the  victory  achieved  by  Deborah  and  Barak  over  the  forces  of 
Sisera.  "  The  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera.  The 
river  Kishon  swept  them  away,  that  ancient  river  Kishon. 
Here  we  were  upon  this  noted  plain — the  great  battle-field 
where  Phonecians  and  Philistines,  Jews  and  Gentiles,  Assyrians 
and  Persians,  Crusaders  and  Saracens,  Turks,  Arabs  and  Franks, 
had  in  turn  fought  their  bloody  battles;  and  now  we  bathed  our 
horses'  feet  in  that  ancient  river,  that  had,  through  a  succession 
of  three  thousand  years,  been  reddened  with  the  blood  of  ah 
these  different  nations. 

As  we  passed  along  the  base,  we  looked  up  the  mountain 
slope  to  the  place  where  Elijah  reared  up  the  demolished  altar 
of  God,  and  fire  out  of  heaven  consumed  his  sacrifice.  Upon 
a  rocky  projection  overhanging  the  plain,  amid  thickets  of  ev- 
ergreen, is  a  terrace  of  natural  rock,  where  the  ruins  of  an  old 
building  are  scattered  about  in  every  direction;  great  hewn 


0  AEMEL    AND  ELIJAH. 


323 


stones  are  seen,  indicating  the  existence,  at  some  former  time, 
of  a  great  superstructure.  These  ruins  mark  the  place  of  the 
sacrifice,  while  a  fountain  near  by  probably  furnished  the 
twelve  barrels  of  water  with  which  Elijah's  offering  was 
deluged. 

Ahab  and  Jezebel  had  turned  the  hearts  of  Israel  away  from 
the  Lord,  and  on  this  spot  an  idolatrous  altar  had  been  conse- 
crated to  Baal.  God's  altar  had  been  thrown  down,  his  prophets 
slain,  and  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  the  nation. 
Three  years  and  six  months  the  drought  had  consumed  the 
land ;  the  grass  withered  upon  these  fertile  plains,  the  fountains 
of  water  were  dried  up,  and  famine  showed  his  lean  and  wasted 
visage  in  the  very  court  of  the  king.  During  all  this  time  of 
distress,  Elijah,  though  a  reward  had  been  offered  for  his  life, 
had  been  taken  care  of,  first  by  the  ravens  at  the  brook  Cherith, 
and  then  from  the  unfailing  cruse  of  oil  and  barrel  of  meal  of 
the  widow  of  Sarepta.  And.  now  the  time  had  come  for  him 
to  show  himself  again  at  the  court  of  Ahab,  for  afflictions  had 
humbled  the  haughty  king  and  queen.  "Art  thou  he,"  said 
Ahab,  "that  troubleth  Israel?"  "I  have  not  troubled  Israel," 
was  the  answer,  "but  thou  and  thy  father's  house,  in  that  ye 
have  forsaken  the  commandments  of  the  Lord.  Eow  gather 
me  all  Israel  unto  Mount  Carmel,  and  the  prophets  of  Baal  four 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  the  prophets  of  the  grove  four  hundred, 
which  eat  at  Jezebel's  table." 

Now  look  upon  the  mighty  concourse  assembled  upon  the 
mountain  slope  above  us !  We  have  seen  the  desperate  con- 
flicts that  have  stained  the  plains  at  our  feet  with  blood  ;  about 
that  altar  is  now  to  take  place  a  contest,  in  which  a  more  im- 
portant question  is  to  be  settled  than  any  these  great  battles 
had  ever  decided.  "  How  long,"  said  Elijah,  "  halt  ye  between 
two  opinions ;  if  the  Lord  be  God,  serve  him ;  if  Baal,  serve 
him."  Now  they  stand  face  to  face,  four  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  prophets  of  Baal;  Elijah  alone  of  all  that  was  left  of  the 
prophets  of  the  Lord.  "  He  whose  God  can  answer  by  fire  let 
him  be  God."  And  all  the  people  said,  "It  is  well."  And 
now  the  prophets  of  Baal  prepare  their  sacrifice,  surround  their 
altar,  and  from  morniDg  until  noon  cry  :  "  0  Baal,  hear  us !  " 


324 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


But  there  is  no  answer.  Then  the  taunts  and  irony  of  the  old 
prophet  only  quicken  their  earnestness;  they  leap  upon  the  altar 
and  cut  themselves  with  knives;  but  neither  their  much  speak- 
ing or  their  loud  speaking  availed  any  thing.  The  time  of  the 
evening  sacrifice  came,  and  their  god  was  deaf  to  all  their  cries. 

Then  Elijah  took  twelve  stones,  a  stone  for  a  tribe,  and  re- 
paired the  broken-down  altar  of  God,  laid  the  wood  and  the 
sacrifice  in  order,  and  that  all  cavil  might  be  silenced,  and  the 
miracle  undeniable,  ordered  the  whole  to  be  deluged  with 
twelve  barrels  of  water.  And  now  he  stands  beside  the  altar 
and  stretches  his  hands  toward  heaven.  With  breathless 
silence  eight  hundred  and  fifty  idolatrous  priests,  Ahab  and 
his  court,  and  the  gathered  thousands  of  Israel,  await  the 
result.  Elijah  is  no  priest ;  will  God  hear  his  prayer  ?  Carmel 
is  far  away  from  the  place  God  hath  chosen  to  record  his 
name,  and  has  never  been  sanctified  with  ark,  tabernacle  or 
temple ;  will  Jehovah  now  vindicate  his  name  and  answer  by 
fire  ?  How  often  my  imagination  has  pictured  that  breathless 
multitude  awaiting  with  intense  interest  the  result  of  that  one 
intercession !  And  now  that  I  stand  gazing  upon  the  spot, 
how  vividly  the  whole  scene  rises  up  before  me.  What  an 
awful  moment  was  that  to  the  prophet  of  God !  His  own  life, 
the  glory  of  God,  the  truth  and  purity  of  religion,  a  nation's 
salvation,  were  all  staked  upon  the  result !  0  Elijah,  darest  thou 
now  open  thy  lips?  With  calm  and  holy  utterance  the  man  of 
God  breaks  the  death-like  silence.  "Lord  God  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  of  Israel,  let  it  be  known  this  day  that  thou  art  God  in 
Israel,  and,  that  I  am  thy  servant,  and  that  I  have  done  all  these 
things  at  thy  word.  Hear  me,  0  Lord,  hear  me,  that  this  people  may 
know  that  thou  art  the  Lord  God,  and  that  thou  hast  turned  their 
heart  back  again"  And  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  kindled 
the  fire ;  the  wood,  the  sacrifice,  the  altar,  and  the  water  about 
it  were  all  consumed;  while  the  overawed  and  trembling 
multitudes  fell  upon  their  faces  and  cried  out :  The  Lord  he  is 
the  God ;  the  Lord  he  is  the  God ! "  Down  this  moun- 
tain side,  where  we  are  now  standing,  that  same  prophet 
brought  the  priests  of  Baal,  and  this  river  Kishon  was  crim- 
soned with  their  blood!    The  name  of  God  was  vindicated. 


ELIJAH'S  PRAYER. 


327 


Then  followed  |hat  memorable  season  of  intercession,  when 
the  prophet  ascended  the  mountain  to  a  spot  that  overlooked 
the  sea,  and  cast  himself  upon  the  earth  and  put  his  face  be- 
tween his  knees,  and  prayed  for  rain  with  a  fervor  and  effect 
that  led  the  apostle,  near  a  thousand  years  afterwards,  to  quote 
it  as  an  evidence  that  the  "  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  right- 
eous man  availeth  much."  The  drouth  was  broken.  "  Get 
thee  up,  eat  and  drink,"  said  Elijah  to  Ahab,  "for  there  is  a 
sound  of  abundance  of  rain."  From  the  base  of  the  mountain 
at  this  place  to  Jezreel  is  about  twelve  miles,  and  thither  Ahab 
returned  and  "told  Jezebel  all  that  Elijah,.had  done." 

Our  route  lay  along  the  base  of  Carmel  toward  the  Mediter- 
ranean. The  plain  of  Esdrselon  terminates  toward  the  sea  in 
the  plain  of  Akka  or  Acre.  A  ridge  of  hills  separates  them, 
and  they  connect  by  a  narrow  pass  near  the  base  of  Carmel, 
through  which  we  passed,  sometimes  wading  in  the  waters  of 
the  Kishon.  It  is  a  very  fertile  plain,  and  here  the  tribe  of 
Asher  once  dwelt,  enjoying  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise :  he 
"dipped  his  foot  in  oil;"  his  "bread  was  fat,  and  he  yielded 
royal  dainties." 

About  3  o'clock  we  pitched  our  tents  upon  the  white  sandy 
beach  of  the  Mediterranean,  just  without  the  dilapidated  walls 
of  the  modern  city  of  Haifa,  supposed  to  occupy  the  site  of 
the  ancient  Greek  city  Sycaminum.,  and  close  to  the  base  of  the 
bold  promontory  of  Carmel,  its  lofty  summit  crowned  by  the 
towering  walls  of  one  of  the  finest  convents  in  all  Palestine. 
The  portion  of  our  company  that  ascended  Carmel,  made  their 
way  along  the  ridge,  and  did  not  get  in  till  near  9  o'clock; 
they  were  nearly  exhausted  with  fatigue,  having  been  about 
thirteen  hours  in  the  saddle. 

CONVENT    OF  CARMEL. 

April  24:th.  Our  first  business  this  morning  was  a  visit  to 
the  convent  that  crowns  the  bold  promontory  of  Carmel.  This 
romontory,  as  here  seen  from  the  sea,  is  one  of  the  boldest 
and  most  imposing  sights  on  all  the  coast.  It  rises  abruptly, 
almost  perpendicularly,  from  the  shore,  to  the  bight  of  near 
two  thousand  feet.   Tts  form  is  that  of  a  sharp,  narrow  ridge, 


328 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


descending  abruptly  on  one  side  to  the  plain  of  Acre  towards 
our  tents,  on  the  other  towards  the  plain  of  Sharon.  The 
convent,  the  monks  claim,  is  built  over  a  grotto  in  the  rocks, 
once  the  dwelling  place  of  the  prophet  Elijah,  which  from  his 
time  onward  has  been  occupied  by  a  continual  succession  of 
the  faithful.  This  convent,  like  others  of  the  land,  has  had  its 
sad  reverses.  Napoleon  made  it  a  hospital  for  his  soldiers  in 
his  siege  of  Acre ;  and  after  he  left  it,  it  was  plundered  by  the 
Turks.  In  1821  it  was  blown  up  by  Abdallah  Pasha,  and  was 
afterwards  rebuilt  by  the  indefatigable  labors  of  one  man,  Jean 
Battista.  He  gave  himself  unremittingly  to  the  effort,  begged 
through  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa,  and  at  last  saw  the  comple- 
tion of  his  labors,  rejoicing  in  the  fact  that  the  Grotto  of  Elijah 
was  covered  by  the  finest  convent  in  all  Palestine — erected  at  a 
cost  of  half  a  million  of  francs ! 

The  monks  have  contrived  to  grade  a  comfortable  road  up 
the  steep  ascent,  so  that  one  can  ascend  to  the  summit  on 
horseback.  We  were  shown  through  the  building,  the  princi- 
pal attraction  of  which  is  the  Grotto,  and  the  rich  chapel  that 
now  covers  it,  occupying  the  centre  of  the  building.  If  Elijah 
had  any  taste  for  the  grand,  sublime  and  beautiful,  I  do  not 
wonder  that  he  selected  the  bold  hights  of  Carmel  for  one  of 
his  favorite  resorts.  The  sublimity  of  its  mountain  hights  ;  the 
tumultuous  sea,  whose  wild,  angry  waves  foam  around  its  base; 
the  beautiful  plains  that  stretch  far  away  upon  the  right  and 
left,  clothed  in  luxuriant  foliage,  to  one  who  could  look  upwrard 
unto  God,  would  all  conspire  to  fill  the  soul  with  devout  and 
lofty  emotions.  The  Carmelite  monks  are  noted  for  their  hos- 
pitality, and  the  good  cheer  they  furnish  the  weary  traveler ; 
and  though  it  is  all  without  charge,  they  expect  a  liberal  back- 
sheesh, amply  sufficient  to  indemnify  for  all  expense  and 
trouble.  This  putting  a  man  upon  his  own  nobility  and  sense 
of  honor,  is  often  the  most  sure  and  direct  method  of  emptying 
his  purse. 

Near  the  northern  base  of  the  hill  is  shown  the  cave,  twenty 
feet  by  eighteen,  where  it  is  said  Elijah  received  the  chiefs  of 
the  people,  known  as  the  "Cave  of  the  Sons  of  the  Prophets." 
Upon  this  mount  there  is  also  a  field  abounding  in  singular 


A   SINGULA  K  STORY. 


329 


petrifactions  resembling  fruits..  The  story  of  their  origin, 
though  an  old  and  oft-repeated  one,  is  too  good  to  be  lost.  A 
stingy,  churlish  Israelite,  had  here,  in  Elijah's  time,  a  fine,  pro- 
ductive orchard.  The  prophet,  weary,  hungry  and  oppressed 
with  thirst,  was  passing  by.  "Allow  me,"  said  he,  "to  par- 
take of  a  little  of  your  excellent  fruit? "  "Fruit,  old  fellow  ?  " 
said  the  crabbed  owner ;  "  you  are  quite  mistaken,  those  are 
nothing  but  stones."  "  Many  a  true  word  is  spoken  in  jest," 
said  the  prophet,  and  on  he  went.  What  was  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  parsimonious  gardener  to  find  his  words  verified ; 
and  to  this  day  his  stone  fruit  lies  scattered  over  the  grounds, 
a  perpetual  monitor  to  every  one  who  visits  the  place. 

CITY    OF  ACRE. 

Leaving  our  encampment  at  the  base  of  Carmel,  we  now 
turned  our  faces  once  more  northward,  for  a  tour  along  the 
sea  shore.  We  have  now  visited  the  prominent  places  of  inte- 
rest connected  with  Biblical  events,  and  shall  hasten  with 
greater  rapidity  to  Beirut.  We  forded  the  Kishon,  orTather 
waded  around  it  by  keeping  upon  the  sand  bar  at  its  mouth, 
some  distance  in  the  sea.  It  was  with  difficulty  we  got  through, 
for  we  had  almost  to  swim  our  horses.  A  delightful  ride  of 
about  ten  miles,  along  the  beautiful  white  sands  of  the  shore, 
brought  us  to  St.  Jean  de  Acre.  Just  before  reaching  this  place 
we  forded  a  small  stream — the  Belus  of  ancient  geography.  It 
is  said  by  Pliny  it  was  on  the  banks  of  this  stream  the  art  of 
making  glass  was  first  made  known. 

This  city  has  an  eventful  history,  reaching  back  more  than 
a  thousand  years  before  Christ.  Having  one  of  the  best 
harbors  on  the  coast,  and  being,  as  Napoleon  called  it,  the  key 
of  Palestine,  it  has  been  one  of  Syria's  great  battle-fields. 
Many  a  time  it  has  been  besieged,  sacked  and  plundered,  the 
last  being  the  bombardment  by  the  British  fleet  under  Ad- 
miral Napier,  in  1840,  of  which  many  portions  of  the  city 
still  give  evidence.  The  population  and  importance  of  the 
place  have  been  dwindling,  until  it  now  contains  only  about 
five  thousand  inhabitants,  a  mixture  of  Moslems,  Druses, 
Christians  and  Jews.    The  city  stil]  has  a  strong  wall  upon  the 


330 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


land  side,  and  massive  fortifications  next  the  sea.  Huge  guns 
were  mounted  upon  the  walls,  and  looking  through  the  port- 
holes, and  Turkish  soldiers  were  loitering  about  them.  We 
passed  the  ponderous  gateway,  kept  by  armed  sentinels,  walked 
through  the  bazars,  and  wandered  about  the  streets.  In  this  city 
a  large  portion  of  the  Crusaders  landed,  and  here,  as  late  as  1291, 
was  the  seat  of  the  order  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  from 
which  the  city  has  its  name.  But  a  few  remnants  of  ancient 
buildings  can  now  be  identified,  among  which  are  a  small 
chapel,  once  a  part  of  the  church  of  St.  Andrew,  the  Hotel  of 
the  Knights'  Hospitalers,  now  the  military  hospital,  and  the  old 
church  of  St.  John.  The  Pasha  sent  an  officer  to  show  us  the 
fortifications,  and  we  were  allowed  to  ascend  the  embankments. 
Every  thing  has  an  old  and  dilapidated  look,  and  the  stamp 
of  negligence  and  decay  is  on  all  you  see.  We  visited  an  old 
mosque,  once  evidently  a  magnificent  and  costly  building,  but 
now  rapidly  going  to  ruin.  In  the  court  of  this  mosque  is 
the  tomb  of  El  Jezzar,  a  tyrant  renowned  for  his  atrocity, 
extreme  cruelty  to  his  subjects,  and  many  terrible  deeds  of 
blood,  one  of  them,  the  cold  blooded  assassination,  in  a  fit  of 
jealousy,  of  fifteen  beautiful  women  of  his  harem  !  After  our 
visit  to  the  city,  we  passed  on  three  or  four  miles,  and  encamped 
upon  the  plain  near  a  beautiful  and  extensive  orange  grove,  the 
blossoms  of  which  filled  the  air  with  their  fragrance.  Within 
the  grove  was  a  beautiful  residence  of  the  governor  of  the 
city,  and  near  by  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  aqueduct,  the  lofty  and 
crumbling  arches  attesting  its  former  magnificence.  We  passed 
a  comfortable  night,  unconscious,  however,  of  the  close  proxim- 
ity of  the  dangerous  tenants  of  the  rocks  among  which  we  had 
pitched  our  tents,  for  on  rising  in  the  morning  our  dragoman 
found  a  scorpion  in  his  bed,  and  one  of  my  companions  another 
in  the  leg  of  his  pants. 

April  Zhth.  We  were  early  in  our  saddles,  galloping  over  the 
rich  plain  of  Acre  toward  Tyre,  where  we  expect  to  spend  the 
night.  Palestine  boasts  no  richer  portions  of  country  than  the 
plain  of  Acre.  Cultivated,  it  produces  the  most  luxuriant 
crops ;  neglected,  it  grows  the  rankest  weeds,  while  now,  over 
many  portions  of  it  the  wandering  Bedawin  roams.    We  were 


APPROACH   TO  TYRE. 


331 


now  passing  over  the  country  and  home  of  the  ancient  Phoe- 
nicians, "the  Anglo  Saxon's  of  antiquity.5'  They  were  an 
enterprising,  commercial  people,  filling  a  large  place  in  the 
history  of  ancient  civilization.  They  were  early  acquainted 
with  the  art  of  navigation,  and  their  ports  were  marts  of  im- 
mense trade  for  those  early  days.  Fifteen  hundred  years 
before  Christ,  the  Israelites  settled  i,n  Palestine,  and  soon  after, 
their  association  with  this  ancient  people  commenced.  The 
influence  they  exerted  upon  each  other  in  religion,  civilization 
and  trade,  must  have  been  very  great.  Even  in  the  times  of 
the  Judges,  "  Great  Zidon  "  and  the  Zidonians  are  mentioned  as 
familiarly  known.  When  Solomon,  1000  B.  C,  built  the  temple, 
Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  was  intimately  associated  with  him. 
These  Phoenicians  were  no  doubt  familiar  with  the  whole 
coast  of  the  Mediterranean  sea,  they  traversed  the  Egean  sea, 
and  are  supposed  to  have  formed  settlements  for  trading  and 
mining  upon  some  of  its  islands.  The  Greeks  learned  and 
borrowed  much  from  the  Phoenicians.  It  is  said  they  received 
from  them  the  art  of  writing,  and  many  of  their  religious 
notions. 

LADDER    OF  TYRE. 

An  hour's  ride  brought  us  opposite  Achzib,  a  town  given  to 
Asher,  but  which  that  tribe  were  never  able  to  conquer.  Leb- 
anon pushes  its  long  range  down  towards  this  plain,  and  soon, 
along  its  sloping  sides,  we  could  see  the  numerous  modern 
villages  and  extensive  olive  groves.  This  spur  of  Lebanon 
terminates  in  a  bold  promontory  called  the  "Ladder  of  Tyre.' 
Over  this  promontory  a  zig-zag  road  wound  its  way,  and  we 
had  some  hard  climbing  among  its  rocky  ranges.  The  "White 
Cape,"  as  it  is  called,  was  a  majestic  and  frightful  looking 
place.  It  is  a  white,  chalky  ridge,  projecting  from  the  moun- 
tain side  to  the  sea.  Over  this  promontory  we  had  to  climb, 
our  road  sometimes  nothing  but  steps  cut  or  worn  in  the  rock, 
while  often  we  could  look  down  the  frightful  precipice  upon 
the  dashing  waves  as  they  broke  in  white  sheets  of  foam  far 
beneath  our  feet.  Upon  the  summit  of  this  difficult  pass  are 
the  ruins  of  an  old  stone  structure,  called  "  The  Candle  Tower." 


382 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


It  was  built  in  ancient  times  for  the  defense  of  this  road,  and 
a  handful  of  men  stationed  here  could  defend  the  way  against 
a  numerous  army. 

The  "Ladder"  passed,  we  were  again  clattering  along  a 
rough,  stony  plain.  On  this  plain  we  passed  some  remarkable 
fountains  and  reservoirs,  known  as  the  "Fountain  Head." 
They  mark  the  site  of  old  Palcetyrus,  "  Old  Tyre."  There  are 
four  large  fountains  near  together,  the  water  gushing  up  with 
great  force  from  the  bottom  of  artificial  reservoirs.  One  of 
these  reservoirs  is  built  in  octagonal  form,  sixty-six  feet  in 
diameter,  and  twenty-five  feet  high,  the  wall  eight  feet  thick 
upon  the  top,  and  the  sides  sloping  at  such  gentle  angle,  one 
can  ride  his  horse  to  the  summit.  The  stones  are  carefully 
joined  together,  and  finely  cemented.  The  water  from  this 
copious  fountain  is  now  used  to  turn  a  mill.  These  fountains 
are  now  embowered  in  beautiful  groves  of  willow  and  fruit 
trees,  and  surrounded  by  a  luxuriant  growth  of  vegetation. 
The  remains  of  old  aqueducts  may  still  be  seen,  by  which  these 
waters  were  carried  in  different  directions ;  one  of  them  runs 
two  miles  to  a  mound,  and  some  massive  ruins  of  an  old  stone 
structure.  It  is  said  there  has  long  been  a  popular  belief  that 
the  waters  of  these  remarkable  fountains  are  brought  from  a 
great  distance  by  a  subterranean  canal,  some  ascribing  the  work 
to  Alexander  the  Great,  some  to  Solomon.  From  this  source 
ancient  Tyre  was  no  doubt  supplied  with  water. 

TYRE. 

"We  spent  some  time  wandering  about  these  wonderful  wells 
and  cisterns,  after  which  we  had  about  an  hour's  ride  to  reach 
the  city.  From  Acre  to  Tyre  is  eight  and  a  half  hours'  ride. 
Just  at  sunset  we  pitched  our  tents  without  the  walls,  and  close  by 
the  side  of  the  gate  leading  into  this  renowned  and  ancient  city ! 
It  formerly  stood  upon  an  island ;  afterwards  a  narrow  bridge, 
known  as  Alexander's  causeway,  led  to  this  gate.  The  3ands 
have  so  filled  in  upon  this  side  of  the  city,  that  what  was  once 
an  island,  has  been  converted  into  a  low,  sandy  peninsula,  not 
more  than  ten  to  fifteen  feet  above  the  sea,  and  conne<?ted  to 
the  main  land  by  a  neck  at  least  half  a  mile  broad.    The  old 


AN    OLD    CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 


333 


walls  are  in  a  wretched,  dilapidated  condition;  next  the  sea  they 
have  mostly  disappeared,  and  on  the  land  side  they  have  fallen 
down  in  many  places,  and  no  attempts  are  made  to  repair  them. 

To  one  who  has  formed  his  opinion  of  these  ancient  Phoeni- 
cian seaports  from  the  glowing  descriptions  of  them  in  ancient 
history,  there  is  a  feeling  of  sadness  and  disappointment  as  he 
wanders  about  them.  They  are  not  what  they  once  were.  We 
spent  a  couple  of  hours  in  the  evening  and  a  portion  of  the 
morning  in  wandering  about  the  place,  and  meditating  among 
the  ruins.  The  modern  town  contains  from  three  thousand  to 
four  thousand  inhabitants.  The  houses  are  some  of  them  of 
stone,  and  substantially  built,  but  most  of  them  are  mere  hov- 
els; the  streets  are  narrow,  crooked  and  filthy;  the  more  sub- 
stantial buildings  and  the  towers  and  walls  have  been  shattered 
by  the  earthquakes  that,  at  different  times,  have  rocked  the 
foundations  of  the  place,  while  the  ancient  harbors  have  been 
filled  up  with  sand  and  rubbish.  We  were  particularly  inter- 
ested in  wandering  along  the  sea,  and  marking  the  fragments 
of  huge  stone  structures,  and  the  numerous  massive  columns 
that  lie  scattered  in  the  sea,  and  that  have  been  worn  and 
washed  through  many  long  years  by  the  dashing  waves.  Many 
nations  have  left  here  the  remnants  of  their  ancient  works. 
Phoenicians,  Romans  and  Greeks,  ancient  and  modern  nations, 
have  here  piled  ruins  upon  ruins,  and  structure  has  perished 
upon  the  top  of  structure,  and  now  lie  buried  beneath  each 
other. 

Among  the  more  modern  ruins,  we  were  deeply  interested  in 
the  remains  of  a  huge  old  church,  but  a  little  distance  from 
where  our  tents  stood.  Sufficient  portions  of  the  walls  were 
standing  to  indicate  its  former  size,  while  from  the  remains  of 
one  of  its  massive  towers  we  could  look  down  upon  the  numer- 
ous wretched  cabins  that  the  present  inhabitants  have  con- 
structed within  it.  This  church  was  built  of  stone,  and  was 
two  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  long  and  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  feet  broad.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  erected  by  Pauli- 
nus,  Bishop  of  Tyre,  in  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century, 
and  for  it  Eusebius,  the  historian,  wrote  a  consecration  sermon, 
still  to  be  found  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History.    He  describes 


334 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


this  church  as  the  most  splendid  of  all  the  temples  of  Phoeni- 
cia. It  added  much  to  the  interest  with  which  we  lingered 
ahout  these  old  moss-grown  walls  and  towers,  when  told  they 
had  often  echoed  to  the  eloquence  of  old  Origen,  and  that  be- 
neath these  ruins  his  dust  now  molders,  for  here  he  was 
entombed. 

TYRE,    PAST   AND  PRESENT. 

Seated  upon  the  ruins  of  this  old  church,  we  may  look  about 
us,  and  contemplate  the  past  and  present.  What  a  place  for 
reflection !  This  city,  upon  the  ruins  of  which  we  now  gaze, 
fills  a  large  place  in  the  early  history  of  civilization.  Tyre  was 
once  the  proud  mistress  of  the  Mediterranean.  Here  was 
erected  the  first  throne  of  empire  that  swayed  its  sceptre  over 
the  sea.  Poets  sang  of  her  greatness,  and  the  prophets,  under 
the  power  of  inspiration,  pictured  in  vivid  imagery  her  great- 
ness and  glory.  Take  your  Bible  and  read  some  of  the  graphic 
descriptions  from  the  pen  of  Ezekiel.  "0  Tyrus,  thou  that  art 
situate  at  the  entry  of  the  sea,  which  art  a  merchant  of  the 
people  for  many  isles.  0  Tyrus,  thou  hast  said,  I  am  of  perfect 
beauty.  Thy  borders  are  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  thy  builders 
have  perfected  thy  beauty.  They  have  made  all  thy  ship- 
boards of  fir  trees  of  Senir ;  they  have  taken  cedars  from  Leb- 
anon to  make  masts  for  thee.  Of  the  oaks  of  Bashan  they 
have  made  thine  oars;  the  company  of  the  Ashurites  have 
made  thy  benches  of  ivory,  brought  out  of  the  isles  of  Chittim. 
Fine  linen,  with  broidered  work  from  Egypt,  was  that  which 
thou  spreadest  forth  to  be  thy  sail;  blue  and  purple  from  the 
isles  of  Elisha,  was  that  which  covered  thee.  The  inhabitants 
of  Sidon  and  Arvad  were  thy  mariners;  thy  wise  men,  0  Ty- 
rus, that  were  in  thee  were  thy  pilots."  Ezk.  xxvii.  Thus, 
under  the  figure  of  a  stately  ship,  this  ancient  mistress  of  the 
sea  is  described,  while  all  lands  and  nations  bring  their  contri- 
butions to  increase  her  strength,  excellency  and  power.  The 
surrounding  cities  and  nations  are  represented  as  her  mer- 
chants, and  all  manner  of  products  are  laid  at  her  feet.  The 
ships  of  Tarshish  sang  of  her  in  her  markets,  and  she  was  re- 
plenished and  made  glorious  in  the  midst  of  the  seas.    But  the 


PROPHECY  FULFILLED. 


335 


prosperity  of  Tyre  laid  the  foundation  of  her  ruin.  In  her 
wealth  she  became  proud,  her  riches  corrupted  her,  and  God 
was  compelled  to  record  sentence  against  her.  "Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God:  Because  thine  heart  is  lifted  up,  and  thou  hast 
said,  I  am  a  god,  I  sit  in  the  seat  of  God,  in  the  midst  of  the 
seas.  By  thy  great  wisdom,  and  by  thy  traffic,  hast  thou  in- 
creased thy  riches,  and  thine  heart  is  lifted  up  because  of  thy 
riches;  therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  because  thou  hast 
set  thine  heart  as  the  heart  of  God,  behold,  therefore,  I  will 
bring  strangers  upon  thee,  the  terrible  of  the  nations;  and  they 
shall  draw  their  swords  against  the  beauty  of  thy  wisdom,  and 
they  shall  defile  thy  brightness.  They  shall  bring  thee  down 
to  the  pit,  aud  thou  shalt  die  the  deaths  of  them  that  are  slain 
in  the  midst  of  the  seas."*  "By  the  multitude  of  thy  merchan- 
dise they  have  filled  the  midst  of  thee  with  violence,  and  thou 
hast  sinned ;  therefore,  I  will  cast  thee  as  profane  out  of  the 
mountain  of  God ;  and  I  will  destroy  thee,  O  covering  cherub, 
from  the  midst  of  the  stones  of  fire.  Thine  heart  was  lifted 
because  of  thy  beauty,  thou  hast  corrupted  thy  wisdom  by  rea- 
son of  thy  brightness;  I  will  cast  thee  to  the  ground,  I  will  lay 
thee  before  kings,  that  they  may  behold  thee."    Ezk.  xxviii. 

Standing  here  and  meditating  among  these  ruins,  mark  the 
exact  fulfillment  of  the  sentence  pronounced  against  this  proud 
city,  as  recorded  by  the  prophets,  while  yet  she  was  in  the 
zenith  of  her  glory.  "  Wherefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God : 
Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  Tyrus,  and  I  cause  many  nations 
to  come  up  against  thee,  and  they  shall  destroy  the  walls  of 
Tyrus  and  break  down  her  towers."  The  kings  of  Assyria, 
Babylon,  and  other  nations  of  the  East,  have  gathered  their  be- 
sieging hosts  about  the  place,  and  terrible  has  been  the  work 
of  destruction  wrought.  It  was  said  by  the  prophet :  "  They 
shall  lay  thy  stones,  and  thy  timber,  and  thy  dust  in  the  midst  of  the 
water."  When  Alexander  the  Great  besieged  the  city,  the 
most  terrible  ruin  was  wrought.  The  city  upon  the  main  land 
was  soon  captured  and  totally  destroyed.  The  stones,  timber 
and  rubbish  were  then  conveyed  by  them  to  the  sea,  and 
formed  into  a  causeway,  stretching  from  the  mainland  to  the 
island.    Thus,  in  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy,  by  casting  her 


336 


THE    ROLf   LAD)  D. 


stones,  timber  and  dust  into  the  sea,  they  made  for  themselves  an 
highway  over  which  they  carried  the  siege  to  the  island  city, 
and  captured  it  by  storm.  "  And  they  shall  destroy  the  walls  of 
Tyrus  and  break  down  her  towers."  See  how  her  walls  are  now 
leveled  with  the  ground,  and  her  towers  have  been  utterly 
overthrown  and  demolished!  "  And  I  will  scrape  her  dust  from 
her  and  make  her  like  the  top  of  a  rock"  Mark  those  ledges  of 
rocks  along  the  sea,  once  covered  with  soil  and  ornamented 
with  costly  palaces.  ~Now  the  sculptured  columns  lie  pros- 
trate ;  the  huge  stones  are  scattered  abroad ;  the  soil  has  been 
washed  away,  and  the  driving  storms  send  the  sheeted  foam 
dashing  over  their  naked,  barren  tops!  u  It  shall  be  a  place  for 
the  spreading  of  nets  in  the  midst  of  the  sea"  Did  you  see,  as  we 
passed  along  the  shore,  how  the  tlioughtless  fishermen  had 
spread  their  nets  to  dry  upon  the  desolate  places,  where  once 
the  proudest  parts  of  the  city  stood?  The  reflecting  traveler 
looks  upon  these  things  with  amazement,  and  is  astonished  at 
the  exact  and  literal  fulfillment  of  these  prophetic  records.  0 
Tyre,  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  has  been  upon  thee;  judgment 
was  recorded  against  thee,  and  faithfully  has  the  sentence  been 
executed.  "The  exaltation,  the  sin,  and  the  punishment  of 
Tyre,"  says  one,  "  have  been  recorded  for  us,  in  perhaps  the 
most  touching  words  ever  uttered  by  the  prophets  of  Israel 
against  the  cities  of  the  stranger.  But  we  read  them  as  a  love- 
ly song,  and  close  our  ears  to  the  sternness  of  their  warning; 
for  the  very  depth  of  the  fall  of  Tyre  has  blinded  us  to  its  re- 
ality, and  we  forget,  as  we  watch  the  bleaching  of  the  rocks 
between  the  sunshine  and  the  sea,  that  they  were  once  4  as  in 
Eden,  the  garden  of  God.' "  God's  hand  has  been  here,  and 
he  has  written  for  us  lessons  of  instruction,  that  cannot  but  ar- 
rest the  attention  of  the  most  careless;  and  the  traveler,  as  he 
muses  upon  the  spot,  is  admonished  of  the  retributive  justice 
that  has  spoiled  and  humbled  this  once  proud,  boasting  city. 
Well  may  we  take  up  the  lamentation  the  prophet  prepared  be- 
forehand for  us,  and  utter  it  as  we  stand  in  the  midst  of  these 
ruins:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Tyrus :  Shall  not  the  isles 
shake  at  the  sound  of  thy  fall?  Then  all  the  princes  of  the  sea 
shall  come  down  from  their  thrones,  and  lay  away  their  robes, 


TOMB    OF  HIKAla. 


337 


and  put  off  their  broidered  garments;  they  shall  sit  upon  the 
ground,  and  shall  tremble  every  moment,  and  shall  be  aston- 
ished at  thee.  And  they  shall  take  up  a  lamentation  for  thee, 
and  say  to  thee :  How  art  thou  destroyed,  that  wast  inhabited  of 
sea-faring  men,  the  renowned  city,  which  wast  strong  in  the 
sea,  she  and  her  inhabitants,  which  cause  their  terror  to  be  on 
all  that  haunt  it.  Now  shall  the  isles  tremble  in  the  day  of  thy 
fall;  yea,  the  isles  that  are  in  the  sea  shall  be  troubled  at  thy 
departure.  When  I  shall  make  thee  a  desolate  city  like  the 
cities  that  are  not  inhabited."    Ezk.  xxvi. 

We  did  not  take  time  to  visit  "  The  Tomb  of  Hiram,"  which 
may  be  seen  upon  a  hill-side,  six  or  seven  miles  east  of  the 
town.  It  is  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  most  singular  monuments 
in  the  land — an  immense  sarcophagus  of  limestone,  hewn  out 
of  a  single  block,  twelve  feet  long,  eight  feet  wide,  and  six  feet 
high,  and  covered  by  a  lid  five  feet  in  thickness,  cut  in  pyra- 
midal form.  Three  layers  of  large  hewn  stones,  the  upper  one 
projecting  a  few  inches,  form  a  massive  pedestal,  on  which  this 
gigantic  coffin  rests.  A  hole  has  been  broken  through  one 
end,  by  means  of  which  it  can  be  entered.  Here,  tradition 
says,  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  the  friend  and  ally  of  Solomon, 
found  a  resting  place.  It  stands  solitary  and  alone,  far  from 
human  habitation ;  and  the  tomb,  like  the  city  over  which  its 
renowned  occupant  reigned,  bears  the  marks  of  neglect  and 
decay. 

FROM   TYRE    TO    SID ON. 

April  26th.  At  8  o'clock  we  had  finished  our  rambles  about 
the  city.  A  large  number  of  the  lounging  villagers  gathered 
about  to  watch  our  preparations  for  departure,  among  them 
many  of  the  Christian  refugees,  who  had  been  driven  from 
their  homes  by  the  recent  bloody  massacres  of  the  Druses. 
From  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  of  these  were  now  quartered 
here,  fed  at  government  expense.  We  took  our  departure,  and 
struck  out  across  the  plain  of  Phoenicia.  A  ride  of  a  little 
more  than  two  hours  brought  us  to  the  Leontes,  the  third  river 
in  point  of  rank  and  size  in  Syria,  the  Jordan  and  the  Orontes 
only  being  superior  to  it.    It  has  its  source  near  the  ruins  of 


338 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


Baalbek,  draining  a  portion  of  the  Lebanon  and  Antilebanon 
mountains.  This  stream  is  about  one-third  as  large  as  the 
Jordan,  and  has  a  rapid  current;  over  it  a  substantial  stone 
bridge  has  been  erected,  a  convenience  seldom  found  in  this 
neglected  country. 

One  hour's  ride  from  this  river,  the  travelers  attention  is 
called  to  a  number  of  upright  stones  arranged  in  the  form  of  a 
circle.  For  what  purpose  these  were  erected  no  one  can  now 
■tell,  but  the  natives  have  a  singular  story  connected  with  them. 
Near  by  is  a  little  whitewashed  tomb  dedicated  to  Neby  Sur,  a 
celebrated  prophet,  but  in  what  age  he  lived  the  tradition  does 
not  say.  This  was  his  residence,  and  some  rude  men  passing 
by  made  sport  of  him.  As  a  punishment  for  their  ill  manners, 
the  prophet  cursed  them,  as  Elijah  did  the  fruit  on  Mount  Car- 
mel.  The  whole  company  of  them  were  immediately  turned 
into  stone,  like  Lot's  wife,  standing  like  monumental  pillars ; 
and  here  they  have  stood  from  that  time  till  this — mute  preach- 
ers, teaching  lessons  of  reverence  and  respect  for  the  aged  and 
the  good. 

ELIJAH   AND   THE   WIDOW   OF  SAREPTA. 

About  noon  we  passed  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  town,  the  site 
of  Zarephath,  spoken  of  in  the  New  Testament  under  its  Greek 
name,  Sarepta.  "  Many  widows  were  in  Israel  in  the  days  of 
Elijah,  when  the  heaven  was  shut  up  three  years  and  six 
months,  when  great  famine  was  throughout  all  the  land;  but 
unto  none  of  them  was  Elijah  sent,  save  unto  Sarepta,  a  city 
of  Sidon,  unto  a  woman  that  was  a  widow."  Luke  iv.  25,  26. 
Here  then  we  were  upon  the  very  spot  of  one  of  the  most  strik- 
ing events  in  the  wonderful  history  of  Elijah  the  Tishbite.  We 
have  looked  down  into  the  deep,  wild  glen  by  the  brook  Cher- 
ith,  where  the  ravens  brought  him  bread  and  meat  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  bread  and  meat  in  the  evening,  and  he  drank  of  the 
water  of  the  brook.  But  the  dearth  grew  more  and  more  se- 
vere, and  the  brook  dried  up.  Elijah,  hunted  by  Ahab,  who 
sought  to  put  him  to  death,  was  under  the  immediate  protec- 
tion of  the  God  he  served.  The  Spirit  led  him  to  this  place, 
then  a  city  of  considerable  note.    As  he  approached  the  gate  a 


THE    WIDOW   OF  SAKETTA. 


339 


"  poor  widow  woman "  was  gathering  a  few  sticks  to  prepare 
herself  a  meal.  The  dearth  was  over  all  the  country,  and  al- 
ready many  a  haggard  look  and  sunken  cheek  told  in  unmis- 
takable language  the  horror  of  the  famine  that  was  consuming 
the  land.  "Fetch  me,"  said  Elijah,  "I  pray  thee,  a  little  water, 
that  I  may  drink."  Water  she  could  spare,  and  she  lacked  not 
kindness  of  heart  to  accommodate.  As  she  went  "to  fetch 
it"  Elijah  called  after  her:  "Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  morsel 
of  bread  in  thine  hand."  "What  a  request  to  make  of  one  al- 
ready dying  of  famine!  She  had  a  kind  and  obliging  heart, 
but  how  could  she  grant  the  request,  even  though  the  prophet, 
like  herself,  was  perishing  with  hunger?  "  As  Jehovah  thy  God 
liveth,  I  have  not  a  cake,  but  an  handful  of  meal  in  a  barrel, 
and  a  little  oil  in  a  cruse;  and,  behold,  I  am  gathering  two 
sticks  that  I  may  go  in  and  dress  it  for  me  and  my  son,  that  we 
may  eat  it  and  die."  Kind-hearted  as  she  was,  who  could  expect 
her  to  share  her  last  morsel  with  a  stranger?  But  the  prophet 
had  been  more  deeply  instructed  in  the  plans  and  purposes  of 
Jehovah  than  this  famishing  woman.  "Fear  not,  go  and  do  as 
thou  hast  said;  but  make  me  therof  a  little  cake  first,  and 
bring  it  unto  me,  and  after  make  for  thee  and  thy  son.  For 
thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  the  barrel  of  meal  shall  not 
waste,  neither  shall  the  cruse  of  oil  fail,  until  the  day  the  Lord 
sendeth  rain  upon  Israel."  1  Kings  xvii.  What  did  that  Gen- 
tile woman  know  of  the  God  of  Israel?  Yet  she  ventured 
upon  the  promise,  and  what  a  reward  followed  her  faith  and 
liberality!  The  promise  was  fulfilled,  and  through  the  long, 
weary  days  of  that  terrible  famine,  her  meal  and  oil  failed  not; 
the  prophet,  herself  and  son  all  lived  upon  it,  and  constantly 
as  they  drew  from  their  scanty  stock,  by  some  strange,  miracu- 
lous power,  it  was  replenished  again.  May  we  not  learn  from 
it  the  rewards  both  of  faith  and  liberality?  The  self-sacrificing 
man  lives  not  on  what  he  keeps,  but  on  what  he  gives.  The  very 
comforts  he  has  given  up,  by  some  mysterious  influence,  seem 
fledged  with  angel  wings,  and  come  gathering  around  him  like 
messengers  of  plenty  and  joy.  We  looked  earnestly  about,  al- 
most fancying  we  could  identify  the  spot  where  these  strange 
things  transpired;  but  the  houses  had  been  tumbled  into  ruins, 


340 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


and  a  few  fragments  of  marble  and  scattered  heaps  of  stone 
are  all  that  remain.  We  dismounted  and  picked  from  an  old 
wall  a  bit  of  white  marble,  as  the  only  memento  of  the  place 
we  could  find  to  bear  away  with  us ;  but  we  left  with  the  story 
of  the  widow's  faith,  and  the  power  of  Elijah's  God,  more  deep- 
ly than  ever  imprinted  upon  the  mind. 

The  Plain  of  Phoenicia,  over  which  we  are  now  riding,  ex- 
tends from  south  of  Tyre  to  several  miles  beyond  Sidon.  Its 
total  length  is  about  thirty  miles,  its  average  breadth  not  more 
than  one  mile.  Near  Tyre  and  Sidon  the  mountains  are  shoved 
back  farther  from  the  sea,  giving  a  breadth  of  about  two  miles 
to  the  plain.  This  plain  has  a  rich,  undulating  soil,  and  is 
every  where  well  watered.  Nature  has  done  much  to  make  it 
productive  and  delightful,  man  has  done  more  to  make  it  un- 
fruitful and  desolate.  Its  villages  have  been  destroyed,  its  in- 
habitants driven  back  among  the  mountains,  life  and  property 
made  insecure.  Large  portions  of  its  fertile  soil  lie  waste  and 
uncultivated,  while  the  wild  Bedawin  pitches  his  tent  here  and 
pastures  his  flocks,  or  goes  roaming  over  it  at  will. 

SIDON,    OR  SAIDA. 

The  approach  to  Sidon  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant  rides 
we  had  enjoyed  in  all  this  land.  The  city  can  be  seen  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  miles.  In  some  places  the  remains  of  the  old 
Roman  road  are  visible,  while  fragments  of  broken  columns  * 
and  great  hewn  stones  are  scattered  along  the  way.  Occasion- 
ly  you  pass  the  flowery  banks  of  some  winding  stream  fringed 
with  the  oleander,  and  decked  with  bright  and  beautiful  flow- 
ers. Strange  as  it  may  seem,  we  passed  several  of  the  old  mile- 
stones that  have  stood  here  by  the  road-side  since  the  days  of  the 
Roman  occupation.  One  of  them,  marred  and  scarred  by  time, 
still  bears  in  legible  letters  the  name  of  Septimius  Severus,  and 
his  son  Aurelius  Antoninus.  It  is  supposed  to  date  back  as 
early  as  A.  D.  198.  . 

As  we  approached  the  city,  it  seemed  to  be  embowered  in 
beautiful  groves,  orchards  and  gardens.  For  more  than  an 
hour,  we  were  riding  directly  upon  the  smooth  sandy  beach  of 
the  sea,  the  white-crested  waves  breaking  over  our  horses'  feet 


THE    CITY   OF  SIDON. 


343 


The  houses  of  the  city  appeared  to  be  better  built  than  in  any 
city  we  had  yet  visited.  Many  of  them  were  stuccoed  and 
whitewashed,  giving  them  a  very  neat  and  tasty  appearance. 
The  distances  of  our  day's  ride,  measured  by  the  hour,  are  about 
as  follows :  From  Tyre  to  the  river  Leontes,  one  hour  and  forty- 
five  minutes;  Leontes  to  Sarepta,  three  hours;  Sarepta  to  Sidon, 
three  hours  and  fifteen  minutes;  thus  making  a  total  from  Tyre 
to  Sidon  of  about  eight  hours,  or  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
miles.  We  arrived  in  good  time,  and  soon  had  our  tents  ar- 
ranged in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  grove  just  without  the  walls 
of  the  city. 

Sidon  was  the  mother  of  Tyre,  and  for  a  long  time  they 
shared  the  honors  of  the  mistress  of  the  sea.  It  is  the  oldest 
city  of  Phoenicia,  and  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  world.  Jose- 
phus  says  it  was  founded  by  Sidon,  eldest  son  of  Canaan,  and 
great  grandson  of  Noah.  It  has  a  history  cotemporary  with 
Gaza,  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  When  the  Israelites  conquered 
Canaan  it  was  a  great  and  powerful  city.  Homer  mentions  it 
in  connection  with  the  Trojan  war.  Like  its  daughter  Tyre,  it 
was  for  a  long  series  of  years  a  powerful  and  opulent  commer- 
cial city.  It  is  now  but  the  remnant  of  what  it  once  was  ;  its 
harbors  have  gone  to  ruin,  its  commerce  has  perished,  and 
scarce  a  vessel  makes  even  a  passing  call.  The  population  is 
probably  about  ten  thousand,  full  half  of  whom  are  Moham- 
medans; the  other  half  mostly  Jews,  Greek,  Catholic,  and  Mar- 
onite  Christians.  Silk  is  extensively  manufactured  here,  and 
large  quantities  of  fruit  are  cultivated.  The  plain  about  the 
city  is  covered  with  gardens  and  orchards  of  oranges,  lemons, 
figs,  pomegranates,  bananas,  apricots  and  kindred  fruits. 

This  city  fell  to  the  lot  of  Asher,  but,  like  Tyre,  it  was  too 
powerful  for  the  Israelites,  and  they  were  never  able  to  subdue 
it.  It  is  but  little  known  in  New  Testament  history,  and  it  is 
but  once  mentioned  of  the  Savior  that  he  visited  the  coasts  of 
Tyre  and  Sidon.  Like  Tyre,  it  was  the  subject  of  prophetic 
prediction,  and  like  that  city,  shared  in  the  retributions  that 
follow  pride,  luxury  and  arrogance.  "  Son  of  man,  set  thy  face 
against  Sidon  and  prophecy  against  it,  and  say :  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God:    Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  Sidon;  and  I 


344 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


will  be  glorified  in  the  midst  of  thee,  and  they  shall  know  that 
T  am  the  Lord  when  I  shall  have  executed  judgments  in  her." 
Ezk.  xxviii.  24.  The  prophecies  have  been  fulfilled.  The 
changes  of  time  have  destroyed  her  commerce,  invading  armies 
blocked  up  her  ports,  battered  down  her  walls,  and  destroyed 
her  palaces.  She  who  was  once  great,  is  now  as  a  "cleft  in  the 
rock;''  dismantled  and  solitary,  she  sits  in  loneliness  and  deso- 
lation, her  beauty  and  glory  faded  forever. 

The  buried  ruins  about  Sidon  will  yet  prove  a  rich  mine  to 
the  antiquarian.  In  a  neighboring  hill-side  are  many  tombs, 
some  of  which  have  been  explored.  A  beautifully  wrought 
sarcophagus  was  found  here  only  a  few  years  ago,  containing 
a  perfect  Phoenician  inscription  of  twenty-two  lines.  The  lines 
told  the  story  of  its  occupant,  revealing  the  fact  that  he  was 
once  a  king  of  Sidon !  This  ancient  sarcophagus  is  now  pre- 
served in  the  museum  of  the  Louvre  at  Paris.  A  short  time 
previous  to  the  discovery  of  this,  in  another  place,  a  large 
quantity  of  gold  coins,  of  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Great, 
and  of  Philip  of  Macedon,  were  discovered.  But  Sidon,  Thomp- 
son thinks,  is  too  old  to  furnish  many  valuable  antiquities.  Her 
decline,  he  says,  commenced  "before  antiquity  began." 

SIDON   TO  BEIRUT. 

April  27th.  We  left  Sidon  this  morning  in  good  spirits,  for 
to-day  our  tent  life  in  Syria  terminates;  to-night  we  expect  to 
sleep  in  a  hotel  in  Beirut,  nine  hours  distant.  The  road,  as  one 
says,  is  bleak,  bad  and  uninteresting — now  plunging  through 
barren,  drifting  sand,  and  now  winding  over  low  promontories, 
covered  with  multitudes  of  loose  stones  and  sharp  rocks.  We 
now  bade  farewell  to  the  Plain  of  Phoenicia,  and  the  southern- 
most range  of  the  Lebanon  mountains  came  down  upon  the 
sea.  The  sight  of  these  mountains  awakened  remembrance  of 
Solomon  and  the  cedars.  Lebanon  signifies  ivhite,  and  the  dis- 
tant tops  of  these  mountains,  covered  with  perpetual  snow,  lie 
glistening  in  the  sunlight.  It  was  these  sublime  and  towering 
hights,  the  extensive  groves  of  enormous  cedars  upon  their 
sides,  the  olive  plantations  and  vineyards,  the  running  streams 
and  fruitful  vales  of  their  base,  that  made  up  the  "glory  of 


CEDARS   OF  LEBANON. 


345 


Lebanon"  alluded  to  in  the  word  of  God.  These  renowned 
cedar  groves,  from  which  Hiram  sent  to  Solomon  timber  for  his 
temple,  have  mostly  disappeared;  but  one  solitary  grove  of 
them  now  remains.  These  are  usually  visited  from  Beirut,  but 
the  snows  upon  the  mountains  when  we  were  there  prevented 
approach  to  them.  This  grove  of  cedars  lies  six  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  twenty-four  hundred  feet  below* 
the  summit  of  the  mountains.  The  grove  covers  about  three 
acres;  some  of  the  trees  are  of  enormous  size;  one  is  said  to  be 
forty  feet  in  circumference.  They  are  the  patriarchs  of  ancient 
days,  and  have  witnessed  the  changes  of  many  hundreds  of 
years. 

LADY    STANHOPE'S  HOME. 

As  we  passed  on,  a  few  miles  to  the  right  of  us,  among  these 
mountain  ranges,  may  still  be  seen  the  ruins  of  the  home  of 
Lady  Hester  Stanhope.  I  remember  the  interest  with  which  I 
read  Lamartine's  narrative  of  his  visit  here  in  1832.  It  was, 
certainly,  a  strange  freak  of  humor  that  led  this  lady  of  intel- 
lect, rank,  wealth  and  beauty  to  banish  herself  from  her  native 
land,  and  choose  a  home  amid  these  solitudes  of  Lebanon! 
There  was  a  charm  of  romance  about  it,  and  for  a  time,  the 
novelty  of  the  situation  and  mode  of  life  might  have  had  many 
attractions.  But  when  I  read  Thompson's  account  of  her 
death  and  burial,  the  gilding  all  seemed  to  fall  from  the  pic- 
ture, and  the  loneliness  and  desolation  of  the  scene  were  truly 
gloomy  and  distressing.  She,  who  had  shone  in  the  highest 
circles  of  English  society,  who  had  rejected  the  proffered  crown 
of  Palmyra,  outlived  her  beauty,  wealth  and  power.  The  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  funeral  is  from  Thompson's  "Land  and 
Book:" 

u  The  British  consul  at  Beirut  requested  me  to  perform  the 
religious  services  at  the  funeral  of  Lady  Hester.  It  was  an  in- 
tensely hot  Sabbath  in  June,  1839.  We  started  on  our  melan- 
choly errand  at  1  o'clock,  and  reached  this  place  about  mid- 
night. After  a  brief  examination,  the  consul  decided  that  the 
funeral  must  take  place  immediately.  This  vault  in  the  gar- 
den was  hastily  opened,  and  the  bones  of  General  L  ,  or  of 


346 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


his  son,  I  forget  which — a  Frenchman  who  died  here,  and  was 
buried  in  the  vault  by  her  ladyship — were  taken  out  and  placed 
at  the  head. 

"  The  body,  in  a  plain  deal  bdx,  was  carried  by  her  servants 
to  the  grave,  followed  by  a  mixed  company,  with  torches  and 
lanterns,  to  enable  them  to  thread  their  way  through  the  wind- 
ing alleys  of  the  garden.  I  took  a  wrong  path,  and  wandered 
some  time  in  the  mazes  of  these  labyrinths.  When  at  length 
I  entered  the  arbor,  the  first  thing  I  saw  were  the  bones  of  the 
general,  in  a  ghastly  heap,  with  the  head  on  top,  having  a 
lighted  taper  stuck  in  either  eye-socket — a  hideous,  grinning 
spectacle.  It  was  difficult  to  proceed  with  the  service  under 
circumstances  so  novel  and  bewildering.  The  consul  subse- 
quently remarked  that  there  were  some  curious  coincidences 
between  this  and  the  burial  of  Sir  John  Moore,  her  ladyship's 
early  love.  In  silence,  on  the  lone  mountain  at  midnight,  4  our 
lanterns  dimly  burning,'  with  the  flag  of  her  country  over  her, 
4  she  lay  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest,'  and  we  left  her  '  alone 
in  her  glory.' " 

The  place  is  now  described  as  a  sad  scene  of  desolation.  Her 
house  has  been  torn  down  and  the  materials  sold  to  the  sur- 
rounding people,  while  the  stones  of  her  tomb  have  been 
broken  in  and  displaced. 

TOMB   OP  JONAH. 

A  ride  of  about  three  hours  from  Sidon  brought  us  to  a  place 
called  Neby  Yunas,  or  Prophet  Jonah.  The  place  is  situated 
directly  upon  the  sea-shore,  in  a  little  sandy  bay  near  a  thick 
mulberry  grove.  There  is  here  a  large  old  khan,  mostly  in 
ruins,  but  one  or  two  of  the  rooms  are  now  occupied  by 
the  Turks  as  a  kind  of  coffee  restaurant.  A  little  distance 
from  it  is  a  large  whitewashed  monument  or  tomb,  built  in 
Moslem  style,  called  the  Tomb  of  Jonah.  It  has  the  usual  dome- 
top  of  the  Moslem  graves,  and  several  rooms  attached  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  keeper,  and  such  pilgrims  as  choose  to 
visit  it.  This,  the  inhabitants  here  will  tell  you,  is  the  veritable 
place  where  Jonah  was  thrown  up  by  the  whale  in  his  strange 
sea  voyage,  when  he  attempted  to  run  away  from  the  command 


TURKISH  COFFEE. 


347 


of  his  Lord!  The  supposed  place  of  his  embarkation  was 
Joppa,  and  many  believe  that  Tarsus,  the  birth-place  of  Saul, 
was  the  Tarshish  to  which  he  was  attempting  to  flee.  If  so, 
this  place  was  certainly  upon,  his  route,  and  the  whale  would 
be  as  likely  to  cast  him  up  here  as  at  any  other  place.  But 
whether  Jonah  was  ever  here  or  not,  this  monument  is  conse- 
crated to  his  memory,  and  is  quite  a  place  of  resort  for  Moslem 
pilgrims,  who  come  here  to  perform  their  religious  vows. 

If  you  would  like  a  cup  of  Turkish  coffee,  you  can  be  ac- 
commodated at  the  khan  close  by,  while  our  horses  are  taking 
a  little  rest.  I  could  never  tolerate  the  black  coffee  of  the 
Turks.  It  is  served  out  in  very  small  cups,  so  thick,  black  and 
strong  that  one  of  these  small  cups  contains  as  much  strength 
as  two  or  three  of  our  large  cups.  It  is  taken  without  milk, 
but  with  as  much  sugar  as  it  will  dissolve.  There  seems  to 
have  been  no  change  in  the  mode  of  making  or  taking  it  since 
Lord  Bacon  wrote  his  quaint  description  of  it,  more  than  two 
hundred  years  ago :  "  They  have  in  Turkey  a  drink  called  coffee, 
made  of  a  berry  of  the  same  name,  as  black  as  soot,  and  of  a 
strong  sent  [scent],  but  not  aromatical,  which  they  take,  beaten 
into  powder,  in  water  as  hot  as  they  can  drink  it.  And  they 
take  it  and  sit  at  it  in  their  coffee-houses,  which  are  like  our 
taverns.  This  Drink  comforteth  the  Brain  and  Heart  and  help- 
eth  digestion." 

Proceeding  onward  from  the  Tomb  of  Jonah,  we  passed  a 
high  point  of  land  or  promontory  where  the  mountain  range 
projects  into  the  sea.  We  clambered  over  rocks,  and  along 
precipitous  paths,  where  it  was  sometimes  extremely  difficult 
for  our  horses  to  make  their  way.  This  rough  and  narrow  pass 
has  been  the  theatre  of  bloody  conflicts.  Here,  about  218  B. 
C,  the  Egyptians  under  Ptolemy  made  a  stand  and  arranged 
their  forces  for  the  defense  of  the  pass.  Antiochus  the  Great 
advanced  from  Beirut,  attacked  the  enemy  on  both  flanks,  and 
drove  them  back  with  great  slaughter  to  Sidon. 

We  now  passed  a  fertile  portion  of  the  country;  villages  dot 
the  mountain-side,  and  numerous  groves  of  mulberry  and  olive 
adorn  the  landscape.  As  we  looked  off  upon  the  distant  hills, 
we  remembered  how,  only  a  few  months  ago,  many  of  these 


348 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


villages  were  deluged  with  blood  in  the  cruel,  cold-blooded 
murder  of  their  Christian  population  by  the  Druses.  Many 
towns  were  destroyed,  thousands  of  Christians  killed,  and  mul- 
titudes of  others  forced  to  flee  for  their  lives.  The  American 
consul  at  Beirut  informed  me  that  his  wife,  as  she  looked  out 
upon  the  mountain  ranges,  counted  twenty  villages  burning  at 
one  time,  while  the  terrified  inhabitants  were  fleeing  in  every 
direction.  Many  thousands  of  these  Christians,  thus  rendered 
homeless,  and  reduced  to  great  extremities,  are  even  now  fed 
at  the  expense  of  the  government,  or  by  donations  from  Europe 
and  America. 

Khan  Khulda,  about  three  hours  before  reaching  Beirut,  is 
noted  for  a  number  of  old  sarcophagi  lying  neglected  upon  the 
hill-side.  They  bear  no  inscriptions  of  any  kind,  but  are  sup- 
posed to  be  of  Phoenician  origin.  They  are  from  five  to  seven 
feet  long,  cut  from  limestone  rocks,  each  now  having  its  lid  re- 
moved and  thrown  to  one  side.  They  are  now  all  empty. 
Who  have  been  their  occupants  none  can  tell.  Not  a  bone  or 
vestige  of  their  tenants  remain;  no  voice  comes  up  from  their 
rifled  chambers  to  inform  us  when  they  were  hewn,  or  who 
found  a  resting  place  within  their  now  solitary  chambers. 

At  last  a  long  blue  line  of  water  indicated  that  we  were  ap- 
proaching the  sea.  As  we  neared  the  city,  we  passed  for  a 
long  distance  over  a  yellow,  sandy  soil,  almost  entirely  destitute 
of  vegetation,  where  the  loose  sands  are  driven  by  the  winds, 
and  piled  in  heaps  like  snow.  The  scenery  was  varied  and 
beautiful ;  the  distant  mountains  rising  up  in  bold  and  solemn 
grandeur,  dotted  with  villages,  forming  one  of  its  most  promi- 
nent features.  Now  we  passed  a  large  pine  grove;  then  we 
were  passing  through  groves  of  olive,  mulberry,  and  gardens 
hedged  by  rows  of  enormous  cactus,  or  prickly  pear.  This  is 
planted  upon  low'  stone  walls,  and  grows  with  gigantic 
strength  to  the  hight  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet.  The  trunks  are 
sometimes  two  and  a  half  feet  in  circumference,  with  great 
thick  leaves  twenty  inches  long,  covered  with  hard,  sharp 
thorns.  And  now  from  the  tall  hights  back  of  the  town  we 
looked  down  upon  the  city,  stretching  down  the  hill-side  to- 
wards the  sea,  and  deeply  embowered  in  groves  of  mulberry 


BEIKUT. 


349 


and  fruit  trees.  We  wound  down  the  declivity,  along  shaded 
roads  and  among  substantial  European-looking  houses,  to  the 
sea-shore,  and  stopped  at  a  public  house  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  called  "  Hotel  de  Belle  Vue."  There  is  another  directly 
in  the  business  part  of  the  town  called  by  the  same  name.  The 
charges  at  these  hotels  are  about  two  dollars  a  day.  Our  jour- 
ney in  Syria  was  ended,  and  it  was  with  grateful  hearts  we 
bade  adieu  to  tents,  dragoman  and  muleteers,  and  took  lodg- 
ings in  a  hotel,  from  whence  we  expect  to  take  a  steamer  on 
our  homeward  passage. 

Beirut  probably  contains  at  least  fifty  thousand  inhabitants, 
of  whom  about  one-third  are  Mohammedans.  There  are  usu- 
ally many  strangers  in  the  city,  drawn  here  for  commerce  and 
travel.  Many  Europeans  are  settled  here,  and  many  European 
houses  adorn  the  town,  and  European  costumes  meet  the  eye. 
A  large  body  of  French  soldiers  are  now  stationed  here,  the 
avowed  object  being  the  protection  of  the  Christians  of  the 
surrounding  country  from  the  hostility  of  the  Druses.  It  is  a 
place  of  considerable  commerce,  and  large  quantities  of  raw 
silk  are  among  its  exports.  The  city  stands  upon  a  kind  of 
promontory,  and  is  most  beautifully  situated.  The  old  portion 
of  it  is  densely  built,  close  upon  the  sea-shore,  the  streets  nar- 
row, crooked,  and  badly  paved.  The  houses  are  mostly  of 
stone,  substantially  built,  and  have  a  neat  and  comfortable  ap- 
pearance. There  are  many  beautiful  villas  in  the  suburbs,  em- 
bowered in  groves  of  mulberry;  in  fact,  the  whole  country 
about,  as  one  says,  is  rapidly  "  becoming  one  vast  mulberry 
plantation."  As  you  ascend  to  the  upper  parts  of  the  town  the 
view  becomes  magnificent,  embracing  the  Bay  of  St.  George, 
the  distant  expanse  of  the  blue  open  sea  stretching  away  in  the 
distance  till  it  blends  with  the  horizon ;  the  hights  of  Lebanon, 
rising  tier  above  tier,  until,  in  the  far  distance,  their  heads  are 
pinnacled  in  the  clouds,  and  their  "snowy  scalps"  glisten  in 
the  sunlight.  I  have  seldom  looked  upon  a  more  extensive, 
sublime  and  enchanting  landscape  than  meets  the  view  from 
the  hights  of  the  town  back  of  Beirut. 

Sunday,  April  28th.  With  joy  we  hailed  the  light  of  the  re- 
turning Sabbath,  for  we  anticipate  a  pleasant  season  of  Chris- 


350 


THE    HOLT  LAND. 


tian  worship  with  the  American  missionaries  stationed  here. 
We  had  been  provided  with  letters  of  introduction  both  to 
them  and  Mr.  Johnson,  the  American  consul.  We  were  cor- 
dially received  by  them,  and  would  here  express  our  thanks 
for  favors  received,  and  especially  to  the  consul  for  his  assist- 
ance in  the  business  matters  we  had  to  attend  to  in  the  city. 
Half-past  10  o'clock  found  us  at  the  mission  chapel,  to 
unite  with  the  missionaries  in  their  accustomed  worship.  We 
made  the  acquaintance  of  several  of  their  number,  among  them 
Mr.  W.  M.  Thompson,  author  of  "The  Land  and  the  Book," 
who,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  has  lived  and  labored  in  these 
Bible  lands,  and  become  familiar  with  every  portion  of  the 
country.  The  mission  premises  occupy  a  beautiful  situation, 
and  the  chapel  is  large,  airy  and  pleasant.  One  of  our  travel- 
ing companions  was  invited  to  preach,  and  it  was  a  delightful 
privilege  to  sit  down  once  more  in  the  house  of  God,  and  bear 
a  part  in  the  devout  services.  Quite  a  large  printing  establish- 
ment is  connected  with  the  mission,  which  we  visited  the  next 
day.  The  schools  of  these  missionaries  heroShave  done  much 
in  cultivating  a  taste  for  literature,  as  well  as  a  love  for  reli- 
gion ;  indeed,  the  mission  has  been  a  prosperous  one,  and  has 
exerted  an  extensive  influence  on  the  surrounding  country,  and 
many  out-stations  have  been  formed  among  the  villages  of  the 
mountains. 

Just  before  leaving  home  I  received  a  communication  from  a 
lady  acquaintance:  "I  have  a  dear  brother  buried  at  Beirut; 
the  missionaries  can  tell  you  where.  I  want  you  to  find  the 
place,  stand  by  the  side  of  the  grave,  and,  if  possible,  bring  me 
a  flower,  or  a  leaf,  or  even  a  spire  of  grass  from  the  tomb,  that 
I  may  preserve  it  as  a  memento  of  one  I  so  dearly  loved."  It 
was  a  reasonable  request,  and  I  was  sure  it  was  prompted  by 
the  earnest  affection  of  a  bereft  sister's  heart.  After  service  I 
asked  Dr.  Van  Dyck  to  accompany  me  to  the  grave.  He  led 
me  to  a  secluded  portion  of  the  mission  premises,  to  a  pleasant 
and  attractive  spot,  secured  by  a  strong  cactus  hedge  and  deep- 
ly shaded  by  the  overhanging  trees.  Here  several  members  of 
the  mission  and  converts  to  the  Christian  faith  had  found  a 
quiet  resting  place.    I  stood  by  one  of  the  monuments,  and 


CONCLUSION. 


351 


read  upon  the  sculptured  marble  the  name  of  George  B. 
Whiting,  long  a  devoted  and  successful  missionary  of  the  cross, 
both  at  Jerusalem  and  in  this  city.  I  thought  of  the  fond 
affection  of  the  bereft  sister,  who  would  covet  a  spire  of  grass 
from  the  hallowed  spot,  and  gathering  a  few  flowers,  laid  them 
in  my  memorandum  book  in  compliance  with  her  tender 
request. 

The  Sabbath  was  over,  and  we  immediately  set  about  mak- 
ing arrangements  for  our  departure  homewards.  We  found  in 
the  port  an  American  vessel,  loading  with  wool,  which  was  to 
sail  direct  for  Boston.  We  packed  a  box  with  the  various  ar- 
ticles of  interest  and  curiosity  we  had  gathered  in  our  journey, 
and  shipped  them  for  our  native  land.  We  then  engaged  a 
passage  on  the  French  steamer  Samois  for  Smyrna;  second 
cabin  passage,  thirty-two  dollars — first  cabin,  about  sixty  dol- 
lars— time,  six  days — stopping  at  Tripolis,  Ladikiyeh,  (Laoclicea) 
Rhodes,  and  other  ports.  The  journey  homeward,  after  reach- 
ing Smyrna,  where  we  visited  the  Tomb' of  Poly  carp,  was  to 
Athens,  thence  to  Rome,  through  southern  Italy ;  over  the  Ap- 
pemnes  to  northern  Italy ;  over  the  Alps,  by  the  St.  Gothard 
pass;  through  Germany,  and  down  the  Rhine  to  Cologne; 
thence  to  Brussels,  Paris,  London,  Edinburgh,  the  Highlands, 
Glasgow,  Liverpool,  Boston,  and  again  to  the  great  Valley  of 
the  West. 

It  was  the  design  of  the  writer,  when  this  volume  was  com- 
menced, to  include  in  it  an  account  of  the  most  interesting  in- 
cidents of  this  European  tour,  but  the  book  has  already  been 
protracted  beyond  the  intended  limits,  and  here  at  Beirut  I  must 
give  the  reader  the  parting  hand.  We  have  had  a  long  and  in- 
teresting journey — I  trust  not  an  unprofitable  one.  We  have 
traveled  over  the  ground  that  has  witnessed  the  events  of  the 
world's  early  history;  stood  on  the  hoary  ruins  of  palaces  and 
temples,  and  looked,  as  it  were,  into  God's  treasure-house  of 
knowledge.  We  have  seen  Egypt,  wandered  in  that  "great 
and  terrible  desert,"  climbed  the  sublime  and  venerated  hights 
of  Sinai  and  Horeb.  We  have  made  the  tour  of  "  The  Holy 
Land" — the  land  of  God's  revelations,  mysteries  and  miracles — 
where  angels  have  found  pathways,  and  have  descended  and 


352 


THE    HOLY  LAND. 


ascended  on  missions  of  mercy  and  judgment.  We  have  lin- 
gered about  the  "Holy  City,"  and  walked  in  the  paths  conse- 
crated by  the  feet  of  the  glorious  Son  of  God.  We  have 
marked  the  changes  time  and  the  judgments  of  Heaven  Have 
wrought — how  prophetic  declarations  have  been  fulfilled — have 
read  upon  a  thousand  tablets  the  Handwriting  of  God! 

Our  time  together  has  passed  pleasantly;  we  part,  I  trust, 
mutual  friends.  We  are  still  travelers  and  sojourners;  God 
grant  we  may  meet  again — not  on  mountains  like  these  earthly 
ones,  lying  in  the  dim  shadows  of  glory  departed,  but  on  the 
radiant  Mount  of  God — not  to  traverse  the  highways  of  the 
earthly  Canaan,  but  to  roam  those  blissful  lands  of  which  this 
earthly  Canaan  was  but  the  type — not  in  Jerusalem  ou  earth, 
but  in  the  glorious  city  of  peace  and  rest,  eternal  in  the  heav- 
ens.   In  hope  of  the  joys  of  that  "better  land,"  we  say, 


FAKE  WELL. 


4 


INDEX. 


THE   HOLY  LAND. 


PAGE. 

Abner  and  Joab   179 

Abraham's  Altar..   275 

Oak   204 

Absalom,  tomb  of.   93 

Aceldama,  field  of  blood   71 

Acquaintance,  an  interesting   155 

Acquaintances  in  traveling   16 

Alexandria  to  Jaffa   11 

Sunday-school  in   10 

Aqueduct,  ancient   125 

Arab  horsemanship   229 

Hostility   271 

Baptism  of  Jesus   238 

Pilgrims   239 

Beirut   349 

Beit  Dejan   25 

Bethel,  site  of  ancient   265 

Beth  Dagon   25 

Bethesda,  pool  of   125 

Bethsaida   314 

Bethany,  excursion  to   138 

Bethlehem,  excursion  to   186 

A  view  of.   187 

The  House  of  Bread....  189 

View  of  convent   192 

A  morning  in   215 

Bible,  Samaritan   156 

Bridge,  ruins  of.   62 

Caiphas,  palace  of.   66 

Capernaum   314 

Carmel  and  Elijah   323 

Promontory  of.   326 

Convent  of.   327 

Visit  to  '   328 

Castle  of  David   46 

Cave  of  Machpelah   209 

Cedars  of  Lebanon   345 

Chapel  of  the  Cross..   114 

Helena   116 

The  Virgin   127 

Cherith,  brook  of   221 

Chorazin   314 

Doom  of.   317 


Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  110,  111 
Interior  of  112 


PAGE. 

Church  of  the  Nativity   190 

An  old 'Christian   333 

City  of  Acre   329 

Cock  that  crew   67 

Ccenaculum   63 

Conclusion   351,. 

Convent  of  Nativity,  view  of.   192 

Visit  to  the  Superior   259 

Corruption,  Mount  of   73 

Crucifixion,  place  of   109,  118 

Custom-houses   15 

David's  Well   196 

David,  Castle  of.   46 

Sepulchre  of.   64 

Dead  Sea,  ride  to   241 

Its  peculiarities   242 

When  and  how  formed.  243 

Bath  in   247 

Keturn  from   252 

Directions  for  traveling   13 

Discovery  of  an  aqueduct   125 

Distances  in  Jerusalem  ,   146 

Easter  morning   153 

Ebal  and  Gerizim   278 

Egypt,  departure  from   9 

Farewell  to   12 

El-Jib  or  Gibeon   178 

Elijah  and  the  Widow  of  Sarepta...  338 

Bavens   218 

Elisha  at  the  Jordan  237 

Elijah's  sacrifice..   322 

Prayef   327 

Eschol,  Valley  of   203 

Excursion  to  Bethany   138 

About  Jerusalem....  17 5,  180 
To  Bethlehem  and  He- 
bron 186,  201 

To  Jordan  and  the  Dead 
Sea   216 

Fast  of  Bamedan   106 

Field  of  Blood   71 

Flocks  and  their  Shepherd   105 

Fountain  of  Hezekiah   59 

The  Virgin  78,  81 


354 


INDEX. 


PA.GE. 

Fulfillment  of  Prophecy  60,  76 

Galilee,  Sea  of.   309 

Sunday  at   312 

Garden  of  Gethseraane   129 

The  inclosed  330 

Solomon   213 

Gerizim,  view  of   278 

Ascent  to   279 

To  Nazareth   291 

Giheon,  visit  to   179 

Gibeah  of  Saul   185 

Gideon's  Victory   300 

Gihon,  Pool  of   58 

Gilboa,  Mountains  of.   296 

Gilgal  of  Joshua   230 

Events  at  "   231 

Good  Friday  in  Jerusalem   145 

Evening   152 

Grapes  of  Eschol   203 

Grotto  of  Jeremiah   96 

The  Agony   129 

Hebron,  excursion  to  186,  201 

Cut  of  206 

History  of   207 

Hezekiah,  Fountain  of.   59 

Hight  of  Mountains,  Jerusalem   86 

Hill  of  Evil  Council   69 

Hinnom,  Valley  of.   68 

Holy  City,  journey  to    27 

Sepulchre  120,  121 

Hostility  of  Arabs   271 

House  of  Simon,  the  Tanner   20 

Bread   189 

Israel  at  the  Promised  Land  234 

Jacob's  Well   283 

Jaffa,  landing  at   18 

Gate   57 

Jeba,  the  Geba  of  Benjamin   182 

Jehoshaphat,  Valley  of.   88 

Jeremiah,  Grotto  of   96 

Jerichoes   222 

Jericho  of  Joshua   223 

Re-built   223 

Of  the  New  Testament   225 

Encampment  atg   228 

Jerusalem,  departure  for   22 

View  of   32 

Our  home  in   34 

Glance  at  the  city   35 

As  a  battle-field   36 

Its  decline.   38 

The  great  captivity   39 

The  Grecian  invasion...  39 
The  Roman  occupation.  40 
Massacre  under  Titus....  41 

Re-built   42 

Mohammedan  conquest.  43 
Walks  about  the  city....  44 
Plan  of.   48 


PAG*. 

Jerusalem,  Christian  quarters  at   49 

Jewish  quarters  at   51 

Mohammedan  quarters 

at   52 

Rambles  in  56,  89 

Excavations  beneath   101 

Sabbath  in   108 

From  the  Mt.  of  Olives..  142 

Good  Friday  in   145 

Foot  excursions  175,  180 

Arrangements  to  leave..  257 

Last  morning  in  259 

Leaving   261 

Farewell  to   263 

Jesus,  baptism  of   238 

Jews'  place  of  wailing  148,  150 

Jezebel,  death  of.     299 

Jezreel,  ruins  of.   298 

Joab,  Well  of   72 

And  Abner  ...   179 

Jonathan  and  his  armor-bearer   183 

Joppa,  its  history   20 

Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea   216 

Visit  to   231 

Plain  of   233 

Bath  in     233 

Ford  of   235 

Elijah  and  Elisha  at   237 

Joshua,  Gilgal  of.   230 

Joseph's  Tomb   285 

House  of   303 

Kidron,  waters  of.   90 

Kirjath-Jearim   29 

Lady  Stanhope's  home   345 

Legends   113 

Lepers,  huts  of   61 

Of  Shechem   288 

Literary  Institution,  the  first   224 

Lodging  in  Tombs   193 

Lydda,  or  Ludd   24 

Machpelah,  Cave  of.   209 

Manuscript,  an  old   286 

Mizpeh,  the  ancient   176 

Mohammedan  conquest   43 

Mosque  of  Omar  164,  165 

Mountains,  hight  of.   86 

Mount  Carmel   321 

Of  Corruption   73 

Moriah.....   159 

Tabor  305 

Nabulous,  or  old  Shechem   274 

Nativity,  Convent  and  Church  of...  190 
Grotto  of.  :-.   193 

Nazareth,  City  of   302 

And  Carmel   320 

To  Beirut   321 

Nob,  and  Massacre  of  the  Priests...  263 

Olive  Trees,  view  of.  289 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Olivet,  ascent  of.   134 

Omar,  Mosque  of.  164,  165 

Palace  of  Caiphas   66 

Palestine,  Map  of   8 

Palm  Sunday   108 

Passports   15 

Passover,  a  Jewish   143 

Pentateuch,  Samaritan  156,  286 

Pilgrims,  Baptism  of.   239 

Pillar  of  Salt   245 

Place  of  blessing  and  cursing   282 

The  Crucifixion  109,  118 

Wailing  148,  150 

Pollution   75 

-Pool  of  Gihon   58 

Siloam   77 

Bethesda   125 

Pools  of  Solomon  198,  201 

Phophecy,  Fulfillment  of..... 60,  76,  335 
Prophets,  Tombs  of.   94 

Kachel,  Tomb  of.   188 

Ramah  of  Benjamin   184 

Ramedan,  Past  of   106 

Ramleh  23,  26 

Rephaim,  Plain  of.   187 

Reservoirs  and  Wells   171 

Robber's  Glen   28 

Fountain   269 

Ruins  of  a  Bridge   62 

Sakhrah,  Sacred  Rock   166 

Samaria,  the  ancient  city   292 

Samaritans   276 

Samaritan  Bible  156,  286 

Story   of  Manu- 
script  156 

Age  of   158 

Samuel,  home  of.   175 

Saul,  Gibeah  of   185 

Death  of.   297 

Sepulchre  of  David   64 

Christ  120,  121 

Sepulchres  and  Tombs   70 

Sharon,  Plain  of.   23 

Rose  of   24 

Shechem,  Lepers  in   288 

Shepherd  and  his  flock   105 

Shiloh,  visit  to   270 

Tabernacle  at   272 

Incidents  at   273 

Sidon  or  Saida   340 

Cut  of.   342 

City  of.   343 

To  Beirut   344 

Siloam,  Pool  of.   77 

Simon  the  Tanner   20 

Sodom,  apples  of.   255 


PAGE. 

Sodom,  Sea  of.   251 

Solomon's  gardens   213 

Pools  198,  201 

Sorrowful  Way   146 

Sunday-echool,  Alexandria   10 

Sparrows   55 

Stephen,  place  where  stoned   127 

Street  in  Jerusalem   131 

Superstitions   ...  113 

Superior  of  Franciscan  convent   259 

Supposed  robber   256 

Temple  Area,  lights  in   170 

And  Sacred  Rock   161 

Of  Mount  Moriah   159 

The  Ccenaculum   63 

Tiberias,  City  of.   308 

Old   311 

Titus,  Massacre  under   41 

Tomb  of  Absalom   93 

Hiram   337 

Jonah   346 

Joseph   285 

Jehoshaphat   92 

Rachel   188 

St.  James   92 

The  Virgin  Mary   127 

Zechariah   92 

Tombs  and  Sepulchres   70 

Of  the  Prophets   94 

Of  Kings   98 

Visits  to  ,   97 

Lodging  in   193 

Tophet   74 

Traveling,  directions  for   13 

Turkish  Coffee   347 

Tyre,  approach  to   331 

City  of   332 

Ladder  of.   331 

Past  and  present   334 

To  Sidon   337 

Valley  of  Eschol   203 

Hinnom   68 

Jehoshaphat   88 

Via  Dolorosa   146 

Virgin,  Fountain  of  78,  81 

Tomb  and  chapel  of.   127 

Waters  of  Kidron   90 

Well  of  Joab   72 

David   196 

Jacob   283 

The  Magi   187 

Wells  and  Reservoirs   171 

Worship,  a  season  of.   313 

Zion,  first  sight  of.   30 


Mm 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  084335642 


